Drive
by aria0205
Summary: Post S1Ep10. Lately, Caroline can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. Unsettled by new discoveries and  forced to rely on Damon to protect her, she embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her world, her friends and herself.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"_According to police, the break-in must have happened around midnight last night. The suspects are thought to be a band of five or six men and women heavily armed. This would make it the first incident this month. If you have any details on this-"_

Caroline inserted her aerobics DVD into the player barely registering the report on TV. The menu came on and she took a step back. An odd sensation came over her, the hairs prickling on the back of her neck, and she turned to see Damon behind her.

She hated when he did that.

"Would it kill you to make some noise when you come down the stairs?"

"There's a leak in the basement," he informed her without preamble. "Take care of it, will you?"

"The basement? I'm not going down there."

He looked at her as he always did, with that half-amused expression. "The sooner the better—it's only going to get worse."

She narrowed her eyes. "How am I going to take care of a leak in the basement?"

Damon shrugged. "Call someone. I have to go."

She let out an exasperated sigh and followed him out. "I don't even see why we're here, Damon. This house is old and—"

"Didn't you just say yesterday that you thought it was charming?"

"I did not."

"Don't you tend to…forget things?" He looked at her over his shoulder. "Why don't you let me be the judge of what you remember and what you don't?"

Caroline scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

"That's my girl." He opened the car door. "Don't look at me that way. "I'll take you out somewhere nice later."

"You better," she grumbled.

"You know the drill. No wandering—"

"—after dark without you. I get it. Go." She walked back in the house, hearing him start the car and drive off.

She frowned, still annoyed that he'd felt the need to remind her. There were things she never forgot. She still had instincts. Caroline looked for the remote, finding it on the sofa, and began her warm-up.

Had she really said the house was charming? She pulled her leg back to stretch it trying to think back and…nothing. As usual. She sighed and repeated the motion with her other leg.

Damon had told her not to worry and she tried, but it was always unnerving to wake up every so often not knowing where you were or why you were there. She bent from the waist, holding the position for a few seconds before straightening up. All she could count on was him. She rolled her shoulders, then her neck. That was okay. Stopping the warm-up suddenly, Caroline brought a hand to her neck; she could feel the rough scabs of two puncture wounds.

She hadn't asked about that. She didn't ask about a lot of things. Caroline moved into a lunge position to stretch one hamstring, then the other. Not about the bodies in the streets, the screams she heard sometimes at night. Things were different now, she understood, even though she couldn't quite remember _from what._

Caroline extended her right arm, bending it back. But Damon took care of her. She repeated the motion with her other arm. It wasn't a big deal to do what he asked. No one else could touch her. Damon kept her safe.

Satisfied with her warm-up, she started her workout.

Since there was no computer, much less Internet, in the house, she'd been forced to try 411 to get the number for the stupid plumber. She jotted down several, one never knew who was still around, and watched a rerun of a cop show. She made it through most of a talk show that came on after, before mopping the kitchen and vacuuming the living room. She hadn't even set out to do it, but she literally hadn't been able to sit still anymore.

It was in one of the bouts of pacing after she'd tidied up the first floor that Caroline's eyes landed on the empty driveway outside the window. She took a peek at the clock in the kitchen. Six o'clock. Definitely too late to get anyone to drop by, she'd lost track of time while cleaning, but still about an hour and a half from nightfall. A walk might be just what she needed. The town couldn't be too far away, Caroline found herself thinking, unable to bear the restlessness.

She always had her cell.

Caroline took the path out of the boarding house, walking on by instinct. There were no signs, but the route seemed familiar enough. She wasn't surprised when she made it to the town's main street.

Sometimes instincts were just as good as memories. Caroline smiled at the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign, just before the main square. There were several shops along the square, but on the whole the town felt empty. She chose the closest convenience store and quickly went inside.

"We're closing—" Caroline turned her head to meet the eyes of the girl at the cashier. "Caroline?"

Caroline looked at her oddly. "Do I know you?" She felt the girl's eyes drift down to her neck.

The girl stayed quiet for a moment. Her own marks were just above the collar of her shirt, her short hair granting easy view. "Sorry, you just looked like someone," she shook her head. "But she...wasn't a redhead. What can I do for you?"

Caroline's hand went to her hair self-consciously and she tried not to be offended. Damon had liked this shade better than the last red she'd tried. "I'm just looking, actually."

"Well, we're closing in, like, ten minutes."

"I'll be quick."

Caroline walked around while the girl tidied up and grabbed a Twix from the shelf. The girl took several boxes out to a back room.

The door dinged and Caroline looked up to see a guy her age walk in, medium build, sort of average-looking. She slid the candy bar back.

"Hey," he greeted her with an appreciative look. "Where's Tiki?"

"In the back," Caroline said warily, looking out the door to the darkening sky.

"I haven't seen you around before."

"We just moved in," she offered distractedly, venturing to the magazine section. She scanned him quickly from the corner of her eye. Looking for the glint of the lapis lazuli on his finger. None.

"Oh, yeah? You and who else?"

Relieved, she swept her hair back, displaying her puncture wounds, then reached for a Vogue, a Mademoiselle, and a Cosmo. She felt the weight of his eyes on her and refused to look at him. "Me and my boyfriend."

Tiki's voice rang out. "Stop bothering her, Donnie."

"Just making conversation. We don't see a lot of people moving in much. So your boyfriend—is he sleeping now?"

"I gotta close up," Tiki interrupted. "Donnie—"

"Yeah, I should get going." Caroline approached the cash register. She gave Tiki the money for the magazines and turned to leave. The door dinged behind her as she dug around her purse for the keys.

"So wait," the guy – Donnie? – called from the sidewalk. "You still haven't told me about your boyfriend."

"Didn't you drop by to see your friend?" Caroline responded airily, even as he walked towards her. She didn't stop walking. "You might be about to miss her."

"Tiki?" The guy followed. "Nah. Tiki's always around."

"Well, I have to run."

The guy's hand closed around her wrist. She turned her head towards him. "You better be careful."

"What? Sleeping beauty might come get me?" He inched closer.

She smiled. "He's not sleeping."

"Relax. He won't know. Probably won't care either. As long as he gets to give you those." He reached to sweep the hair away from her neck.

Caroline jerked away –as far as she could, given his grip- but met his eyes squarely, tilting her head. "Where are yours?"

He snorted. "I don't got any."

"Really."

"My boss says there are two types of people: ones to feed on and ones that work for you."

"So you work? For a vampire?" Caroline chuckled at the thought. "You're his muscle?"

"Someone's gotta watch them." He gestured to the convenience store. "Keep 'em in line while the boss is asleep."

She pursed her lips and pulled against his hold, yanking her hand free. "Maybe the boss shouldn't have eaten all the cops." Caroline continued walking.

He shrugged, still annoyingly beside her. "They were almost all gone by the time we got here anyway."

"Are you actually going to follow me home?"

"Dangerous for a girl all by herself."

"I'll be fine—don't you have work now or something?" She gesturing to the sky.

"Let me get you a drink," he cajoled. "Nothing bad will happen to you while I'm here."

"Thanks, but no."

"Your marks aren't even fresh." She ignored him, trying to walk faster, but he grabbed her arm again, harder this time, and pulling her back. "You might have a boyfriend…or you might have _had_ a boyfriend."

"Or that some vampires enjoy variety." Caroline closed her eyes, relieved at the sound of Damon's voice. "Doesn't your boss?"

Donnie let go of Caroline's wrist and skittered back.

He'd gone utterly quiet and still as if he were afraid Damon would snap his neck at the least provocation. With reason, she thought, comforted.

"Give him my regards, by the way," Damon said. He turned to Caroline. "Coming? Car's this way."

As they pulled out of the parking spot, and she stared at Donnie's figure through the rearview mirror until he was just a small dark shadow in the dusk.

Her hand went to her neck unconsciously. The scabs on her skin felt dry and rough under her fingertips.

Her carelessness dawned on her on the short ride back. It was always like that, one minute she was doing something, not worried about a thing and the next there was this heaviness. Usually she couldn't name it, but this time it was clear enough. She should have never gone out. What if Damon hadn't been there? But she'd been so restless…Caroline looked at his profile trying to read if he was angry. She gave up soon enough.

"I'm sorry," she said once they were back at the house. "I left the house too late." Caroline walked towards the kitchen, not waiting for Damon to respond. "I should have gone in the morning. I ended up wasting too much time. But I felt so…antsy. Like if I stayed here any longer…I just couldn't." She dug around the freezer for her meal. What if she'd just made Damon upset? "I'll get someone to come over tomorrow."

Damon's words had started replaying in her head _variety_…_some vampires like variety. _She didn't want to think he'd meant it, but of course he did. What did that mean? If he didn't need her anymore, what would he do with her?

"Avoiding town might be a good idea for the moment," Damon was saying. It was the first thing he'd said since he'd picked her up.

Caroline nodded dully, pushing the tray into the microwave. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans and leaned against the counter, eyes fixed on him.

"You're not…angry, right?"

Damon looked surprised at the question. "No." He turned away from her to grab a bottle of wine on the kitchenette behind him. "Although – you're right. Going at the time you did was not the smartest thing to do. Get me the bottle opener."

She opened the cabinet nearest to her and handed it to him.

_There was blood everywhere. A sodden, blood-drenched shirt._

The microwave beeped and Caroline blinked the image away.

She pulled out the food, briefly considered transferring it onto a plate, then dismissed the idea. She grabbed a fork and knife, careful not to burn herself with the tray. The cork popped behind her, and she set the tray down on the counter to reach for a wine glass. She offered it to Damon.

"You're not having any?" He looked up at her.

Thinking better of it, she grabbed a glass for herself and handed it to him as well.

"Was it like this where we were last?" She tore away the plastic wrapping from the TV tray.

Damon brought the wineglass to his lips. "Charleston? Like what?"

_Charleston_, the name didn't bring up any image, but she made a mental note. "Full of creeps."

He took another drink before answering. "Thugs," he made a face, "are more common now." Wine glass in hand he exited the room.

Caroline didn't follow him.

_Ones to feed on and ones that work for you._

_Your marks aren't even fresh._

It was hard to eat when her hands were shaking this much. She dropped the knife and fork in favor of getting her glass of wine and took an ungraceful swig of it hoping it would calm her nerves.

_Variety._

She was still here. That meant something. He wouldn't get rid of her just like that- part of her felt grateful for that leak in the basement all of a sudden.

Another drink of wine and she picked up her knife and fork again.

Damon's door was half open, but she still knocked timidly.

"Yes?" He lifted his face from whatever book he was reading.

"You said that I shouldn't worry about…the gaps, I know," she began quickly. "It just gets really annoying. Like right now, I was trying to remember when we got here or about Charleston and I can't. And I'm wondering if that's why I feel so nervous all the time like I don't know-"

"A week," he said flatly, returning to his book.

"Something happened there."

Damon put down the book, cocking his head. "How do you know?"

"I don't." She approached the bed. "Not really." She sat down on the edge.

He reached for the book, but she leaned across him to push it away from his grasp.

"Did you save my life?" Caroline shifted a bit, scooting forward, and pushed her hair over her shoulder, baring her neck, the unmarked side.

She saw the color, the splotchiness in his face for a second. He grasped her arm and she was flung forward onto the bed. Bloodlust was still written on his face, as he looked down at her. She didn't expect it when he shifted away and ordered: "Out."

"I thought—"

"Do yourself a favor and don't."

The remark caught her by surprise, and she bristled. "Oh, I'm sorry," she blurted out, voice laced with sarcasm. "I forgot, you like _variety_. Stupid me."

She managed to get maybe two steps from the bed before he was behind her, an arm wrapped around her waist.

"I thought I told you not to think." His breath was warm against her temple.

"I'm not."

Caroline felt the brush of his lips over her neck and closed her eyes, focusing on the huff of his breath against her skin. The feeling was pleasant, but she felt herself tense, expecting the pain. There should be pain. That was normal.

Caroline closed her eyes, wanting him to just go ahead and _bite_ already, but he didn't. Suddenly, she wanted to go into her room and lock the door. She tried to think back, it must have happened before, many times, and yet all she could think of was blood pooling on the floor and screams.

He released her suddenly.

"I think I had too much wine," she murmured, half-confused, half-relieved and afraid she'd made him angry, but he was on the bed again, nose back in the book.

"I think you're right." He didn't look up. "Close the door on your way out."

Caroline woke up with a headache the next day, the sunlight that sneaked through her blinds pounding its way through her skull. Served her right, she thought, catching sight of the empty wine bottle on her nightstand. She'd gone downstairs after leaving Damon's room and brought up the remains of the bottle with her, realizing belatedly just how shaken she'd been.

_Because he would have fed on you._

She pushed the thought away and sat up sluggishly, reaching for the bottle and wineglass. Trying her best to ignore her headache, she went through her morning routine, making her way down the stairs to the kitchen. There, she disposed of the bottle, rinsed the glass and set the coffee.

Caroline darted a quick look up the stairs. Damon would probably sleep in until the afternoon if he didn't have somewhere to be.

_Because he didn't feed and doesn't need you._

She walked towards the bag with her magazines was on the dining room table, beside the notebook where she'd jotted down the numbers yesterday. She'd said she'd take care of it. Sighing, she sat down at the table and pulled out the list of numbers she got yesterday, wishing that they'd decided to stay in a hotel instead.

The smell of coffee wafted to the room and she left the notebook open on the table, going back to the kitchen. She wasn't about to start all those calls without any caffeine in her system.

"I'm not sure what the nature of the leak is." Caroline tapped her pen on the phone book. "I just learned about it yesterday."

Caroline stood up and began pacing, while the assistant on the phone prattled on about the types of leaks, and she almost collided with Damon.

"Don't do that," she hissed at him. The assistant sounded surprised, and Caroline turned away adding: "Oh nothing. I think it might be the first or second? It's an old house. When would you be able to come take a look? The sooner the better."

She waited while the man checked the appointment book. "Next week? You don't have anything else open?"

"Tell them it's the Salvatore boardinghouse," Damon suggested helpfully. "That might help."

She waved a hand for him to be quiet. "Yeah, it might be an emergency. The house is very old. I mean really old. It's the Salvatore boardinghouse—maybe you know it? Oh, today at four? No, that would be perfect. See you then." Caroline hung up. She gave him a sardonic look. "It's like they know you."

He shrugged. "This house has always been in the family."

"You think it's good to name drop?" He continued to the kitchen and she followed, frowning reminded of the encounter with Donnie. "I mean there are other vampires here. And this makes it easy to know where you are."

"I think there's currently _one_ vampire here," he called out, rummaging through the fridge. "And he's relatively new, which means -"

"No ring. Can't go out at night. I know."

"Anyway," he continued, his voice muffled. "It's not exactly a secret we're here either."

"Still," she added uncomfortably.

He emerged with an apple in his hand. "Usual rules. Don't go out at night. If he comes over, don't invite him in." He bit into the apple with a decisive crunch.

"It happened in Charleston, didn't it?" she blurted out.

He lifted his index finger. "Not exactly. Shouldn't you be working out?"

Her eyes drifted towards the clock. "Yes."

"Then go do that."

Caroline stared at him for a second, not wanting to let the matter drop. But, she didn't want to make him angry and it was already past one and it felt…wrong not to keep her schedule. Wordlessly, she turned to leave. She'd just have to ask him later.

Damon was gone by the time she was finished with the DVD. She was just done showering and getting dressed when the doorbell rang.

"I'm Mark Leonard from Leonard and Sons. You called about a leak?" the man said when she half-opened the door. She felt a little silly, being that careful. She'd never actually met another vampire that could walk around during the day – then again, she couldn't remember meeting any vampire other than Damon, and she must have, she was certain. She stopped herself. Damon had said not to worry about the gaps.

"I'm Caroline." She caught a glimpse of the top of a bandage around the man's neck through his shirt collar and gestured him in.

"You must be the one who my son talked to earlier."

"I am."

The man scrutinized her. "You look familiar."

She chuckled. "You're not the only person I've heard that from. Someone just told me that yesterday. I guess I just have that kind of face."

"Maybe," he said grudgingly.

Caroline smiled. "Or is it like a Mystic Falls thing. Something you tell people who've just moved in?"

"Been a while since we've seen new people in town. There's not that many of us anymore. Don't even have a local TV station anymore."

"Really?" Caroline said, without knowing how else to reply. "The basement is this way."

"How long have you had the problem?"

"Oh, I don't know, actually. Damon told me about it yesterday and–" She forced a laugh. "I don't come down here at all so..."

The man was silent at that, and they went down the narrow stairs. Something about the basement gave her a bad feeling. At least she wasn't alone.

"We were in Charleston before," she added to fill the quiet.

"How is it over there?"

She wracked her mind, but all that came to her were fragments, bloodied clothes, … "Hectic. It was a little hectic. It's good to be here," she found herself saying. "Nice and quiet."

"Lots of vampires?" he surprised her by asking. "I hear the cities are full of 'em."

They'd reached the bottom of the stairs and she clicked on the light. Cardboard boxes were spread throughout the room. What were all those boxes? "I'm not sure. How about here?"

"One vamp. It's not so bad most of the time."

"Oh, right." Hadn't Damon told her as well? "I, uh, ran into one of his…employees yesterday."

Mark grunted. "The whole town works for him. One way or another." He pointed to the boxes along the walls as Caroline tried to make a path towards the far end of the room. "Looks like you're getting ready for a garage sale."

She chuckled. "I was thinking more that someone's moving. I have no idea what all this junk is. Sorry. We just moved in."

"I've seen worse."

"So about the leak…" Caroline changed the subject. "The first floor bathroom's not too far from here—could that have something to do with it?"

"Could be. Ah," he said, coming up to a cleared space. "This is it?"

There was a bucket in the center, almost full of cloudy water. As they watched a thick drop dripped down. Then another.

"I guess so. Damon must have put that there."

"And you said there's a bathroom directly above here?"

Caroline nodded.

"Hm. Mind if I take a look?"

She nodded. "Go right ahead," she followed him back upstairs.

After, the plumber had left, Caroline found herself returning to the basement.

The boxes appeared in her line of vision and the annoyance changed to unease. She was sure it was all paranoia, but something about the room made her nervous. She tried not to give it too much thought.

There were almost no personal effects anywhere in the main rooms of the house. Caroline figured they'd all gone here. She approached the box nearest to her. It was closed, but there was no tape, so she knelt and reached to open it, passing her fingers over the surface. Dust floated up. Judging by the layer of powder on her fingers, the box had been there for a while.

Curiosity no longer hampered by dread, she reached to open it. Another cloud of dust formed as she pulled the flaps. She coughed, pulling back slightly, letting the air clear. When it did, she wasn't too surprised to find several binders. She pulled one out carefully and opened it, scrutinizing the yellowed sheets with flowery writing. She couldn't make out too much between the faded ink and odd cursive. Caroline put the binder back with a sigh.

She stood up and surveyed the room again. Would all the boxes be full of old documents? Why would anyone, let alone Damon, keep them? She doubted they'd be of much use now anyway.

Still, she didn't have anything else to do at the moment, so she walked past several of them, stopping by the box closest to the left wall. This one had binders too, which almost made her give up in bored disgust.

Caroline grasped one at random, realizing with a thrill that it wasn't a binder at all. It was a photo album. She opened it, eyes focusing on the page.

That wasn't Damon. Or at least she didn't think it was him in the photograph. She could see a resemblance, but this boy's face was much more serious, features harsher somehow, even at that age. A relative, probably. Brother? She'd never thought of Damon as having a family, although, of course, he would have. Before.

Her memory flickered at the thought, like a name at the tip of her tongue, but when she shut her eyes trying to summon an image, a name, anything, nothing came.

She heard the door open upstairs, followed by Damon's ironic "Honey I'm home!" and instinctively shut the album and stuffed it back in the box, which she closed haphazardly. She heard his footsteps approaching the basement stairs and stood up.

"Did you take care of it?" He came into view gradually as he went down a couple of steps.

"The pipes are damaged. All over the house," she told him. "Not too badly now. It'll get worse later. The plumber gave me some more numbers."

"Seems you have your work cut out for you."

She made a face as she went back up the stairs.

Hours later, Caroline looked up from her magazine to where Damon was lazily channel surfing. He wouldn't leave a program on for more than a few minutes before changing it.

The opening bars of the theme song to a sitcom she didn't know blared before being traded for the voice of an anchor recounting some robbery, then a halftime bell of a basketball game.

But it wasn't the sounds that had her throwing surreptitious glances his way. The dark-haired boy she'd seen in the album…he couldn't have been older than ten.

"Out with it," Damon called from the couch.

"Out with what?"

"You know what I'm talking about." He muted the TV and stretched, before turning to look at her. "You've been staring at me all night–are you still sulking about the work?"

"What next?" she blurted out mildly. "Plastering the ceiling?"

"That's a thought," he grinned.

Caroline sighed. "It's not funny."

"Think of it as a lesson—"

"Why the boxes?"

He shrugged, unfazed by the change in topic. "Legal stuff. Deeds to the property, that sort of thing."

"That's a lot of legal stuff."

"Well considering some of them date back a hundred and forty years…"

"The plumber thought you might be having a garage sale."

Damon snorted. "And you're scared I'll make you have one? Tempting."

"No. But I did wonder if you thought about going anywhere." She fought not to sound as worried as she felt and felt herself failing. "Like, by yourself."

"I go to plenty of places by myself."

"I don't mean when you're busy—"

"People do keep boxes in their basements, you know," he interrupted. "It's perfectly normal. Doesn't mean they're going anywhere. Those boxes have been there for years."

"I know." Caroline closed her magazine. Not knowing what else to say, she grabbed it and headed to the stairs. The TV sound came back on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

She really should have asked. Caroline bit her lip as she went down to the basement the next day. What would she say anyway?

_I went through your boxes and found an album. I looked through it and, by the way, who is the boy in the picture?_

It sounded so…nosy.

And what if Damon was getting tired of her? She'd barely slept the night before, wondering what it would be like to be alone here, to really be alone. Her in this old, dark house. In this backwoods town. How long before Donnie or some other creep realized that she had become fair game and broke in, hauled her off to whatever vampire called the shots.

Or worse. He could always have them come and get her as a gift to their boss.

Her hand lifted to her neck. She could no longer feel the scabs.

_Your marks aren't even fresh._

Was that why he'd stopped feeding on her? So she could be a proper gift?

She drew a shaky breath and turned on the light. She couldn't remember when she'd last been that nervous. But then, she couldn't remember much of anything. This is normal, she kept telling herself, but it felt like a bigger lie each time.

Caroline crossed the basement with purpose, returning to the second box she'd opened the previous day. She knelt by it, feeling slightly sheepish under the nervousness. She'd been unable to deny the curiosity once she'd realized Damon was gone. He could come back any minute, yet there she was. She should go back upstairs.

But her hands still sought the album. She looked for the picture of the boy again, the one whose eyes were too serious for his age. She stared at it for a while, before turning the page to the picture of a woman. Long dark hair, haughty eyes. The flash of recognition was sharp, intense. The boy had been familiar, but this woman…_Caroline knew her._

She shut her eyes, trying to focus, hoping something would come to her. Minutes passed fruitlessly. Caroline opened her eyes and turned the pages, but, oddly enough, there were no other photos, so she slipped the album back into the box.

Caroline let her head fall into her hands. The pages had been as blank as her memory. The emptiness made the breath stall in her lungs and it felt so _wrong_.

Why couldn't she remember anything? Not friends, not even family. How long had it been like that?

She'd found it so easy to push it aside, not to dwell on it, but now question after question came to her. Why was she here? Where was her family? Where had she come from? Who was Damon, really? There had to be more than just…this.

Caroline sniffed and blinked at the tears that had gathered in her eyes. The dust turned the sniff into a sneeze.

She sighed, collecting herself. If the picture of the woman sparked a feeling of recognition, maybe she could find something else that might help conjure up something else. Caroline stood and went to another box several feet away. This one had no binders or albums, but was full of what looked like homemade tea packets. She took one out and sniffed it, wrinkling her nose at the pungent odor. Gross. Maybe it tasted better than it smelled, or had some medicinal properties. Otherwise, she couldn't see why anyone would want a box of the stuff.

Caroline took one to try later and in doing so, something shiny caught her eye. She moved several packets aside, thinking it must be either an ornament or jewelry. Her eyes widened as she saw the barrel of a small gun. What in the world…?

She lifted it out carefully. It was small, almost cute, for a weapon. But why would anyone –why would _Damon_- keep a gun with tea packets? She was about to put it back, but instead laid it on the floor beside her as she closed the box.

Caroline calmly palmed it, along with one tea packet and went up the stairs, pausing to turn off the light. She crossed the hall and took the stairs to the second floor, towards her room. Once there, she opened the first of the drawers in her bedside table and carefully deposited the gun there, below her boxes of jewelry. She sat on her bed afterwards, in a daze.

What had she done? She shouldn't have brought the gun up. Every warning bell was ringing in her head. So stupid. She put a hand on the handle of the drawer, telling herself to reach for the gun, take it out and put it back where she found it. She didn't need it, Damon would always protect her. He was enough. He'd always be there. Wouldn't he?

All she ended up doing was closing the drawer.

Later that night, Caroline was debating whether to go shower and finish the wine bottle she brought up with her, or finish the wine and then go shower when Damon knocked at her door.

"I thought we could go out," he offered. "Get some desert or something. You haven't left the house in a while, right?"

Caroline took one look at him and tipped her glass back. Finish the wine it was. "Don't really feel like it, thanks."

He tilted his head, puzzled. "You've been cooped up here for a couple of days—you mentioned getting antsy…"

"Yeah, well…" She shrugged and reached for the wine bottle to pour herself more. She smiled. "It's fine."

"I did promise."

She tipped the mouth of the glass slightly in his direction before bringing it to her lips again. "Rain check."

"You've been different," Damon observed. "Jittery."

"You think so?" Caroline asked, feeling the pleasant warmth of the alcohol. She could have just brought it with her to the bathroom. "You've been weird too."

"Really? How?"

She thought better of it. "Never mind."

"You can't still be angry about having to get those pipes replaced. It's not that big a deal."

"Look if you're asking me to do this to annoy me-it's working." Part of her was telling her that it was stupid to make him think she was upset over this. The chore wasn't any different from anything else he'd asked her to do. But everything was jumbled up in her head and she scarcely knew what to think any more. Caroline reached to pour herself more wine and he finished the glass in one long swig.

"Woah," Damon said, watching her. "Easy. I just like to keep you on your toes. Keep you useful." He grinned as he walked towards her bed and reached for the bottle. "Give you purpose. But if calling someone is beyond you…"

"I am useful," she mumbled. He didn't respond, but easily pulled the bottle from her grasp, bringing it to his lips.

"I was drinking that," Caroline protested.

He offered it back to her.

She rolled her eyes, but grabbed the bottle. The bed dipped slightly as Damon sat on it.

"Did the plumber say anything?"

"About what?" Caroline refilled her glass. She placed the bottle back on her nightstand.

Damon shrugged. "Anything."

She paused for a drink. "That the pipes are old. There's one vampire in town. That I looked familiar -the girl at the Seven-Eleven said that too."

"You just have that look. Maybe you need another shade of red."

She finished the remaining wine in her glass. "I didn't expect so many boxes in the basement."

Damon shrugged and reached for the bottle. "Told you a hundred and forty years is a lot of junk."

"There's an album inside one of the boxes."

"That you apparently went snooping through."

She glared at him. "You didn't even tape them shut. There was this picture—of a girl…" Her eyes caught the blur of movement and then he was there in front of her, scarcely inches away, all pretense of humor absent from his face.

"I'm only going to tell you once," he said quietly. "Don't go digging through my things."

She looked at him. The odd thing was that she _knew _he was dangerous, knew he could snap her neck like a matchstick, rip her throat open…but she felt surprisingly calm. The lights of the room felt brighter, giving the scene a strangely unreal cast and right then, nothing seemed worse than not knowing.

"What do you have in there, anyway? Who is she?"

"I'm serious."

Caroline set the glass on the table, no longer looking at him. "And if I did—like if I annoyed you a lot, would you kill me yourself?"

"We return to the theme. Do you want to know?"

She twisted her hands in her lap. "Y-yes. I do."

He grasped her chin lightly, forcing her to focus on him. "You know, there's someone else in Mystic Falls who'd be more than happy to give you a new home."

That thug—Donnie? His face floated up in her memory and her breath caught in her throat. His boss? She pulled away from Damon, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, previous boldness gone.

He laughed and moved back. "Oh, don't look so scared." He reached for the bottle. "I was just kidding- I don't have plans to get rid of you just yet."

_Yet? _She was afraid of uttering the question out loud. She might not remember much, but she remembered this feeling as if it'd never gone away. The uncertainty. Not knowing if he might just decide to drink too much of her blood, if he'd just leave her behind, or offer her as part of some vampire trade. She hated not knowing her past, hated feeling like Damon was all she had in the world. She hated him.

Caroline closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath, suddenly overwhelmed with the wave of loathing. She slowly tampered down on the impulse to pull away. She opened her eyes to see Damon holding a refilled wine glass in front of her.

"You look like you need it."

She faked a smile and reached for it, taking refuge in the warmth at her throat before placing it back on the table. She could ask about her friends, about her family, but found herself unable to summon the will. What would he say? Could she believe him? Did she even want to know?

"Caroline?"

Was he angry with her? What had she done?

"Rain check, then?" he said, reaching for the bottle and standing. "Tomorrow?"

Caroline nodded. She had to make things right, show that she was grateful that he still kept her around, kept her safe. Prove herself.

As he turned to leave, she went to the drawer. It was the stupidest, most impulsive thing she'd ever done, but she'd hardly thought about it as her hand fumbled a bit on it before closing around the cold metal.

"Damon—I found this— I'm so sorr—" she'd barely managed to get the words out, before he dove towards her. She flinched and a shot rang out.

He tumbled back against the doorway. The bottle slipped from his grasp, crashed to the floor and shattered, pieces flying everywhere, the remaining liquid sloshing on the floor.

The crack of the shot still echoed in her ears. She almost dropped the gun from the sheer shock of it. Her hands were shaking now, but she narrowly managed to keep the weapon trained on him, not knowing what to expect. He'd be angry wouldn't he?

Then for a split second, as she watched him stumble, she was horrified to think that she might have killed him. But guns didn't kill vampires, a part of her knew this. They didn't even slow them down.

He seemed visibly in pain, though, when he gasped out "Caroline," clutching his shoulder. Blood seeped out from the wound, staining his blue shirt, and she forced her eyes away, stomach recoiling.

"Don't…don't move," she ordered, hearing her voice tremble. He weakly slid down the wall.

"I thought you said…you weren't mad," he gasped out.

Caroline kept her gun on him and ignored the quip. "I don't remember anything—"

"That's—fine," he grimaced. "You drank too much."

"It's _not_ fine! I feel like I've been on a rollercoaster for days! What's wrong with me that I can't remember? What did you do to me?" The questions rushed out of her. "Who are you? Why am I here?"

"Better not—"

"Why do I know the girl in your album?"

"Caroline—"

"This is not real!" she screamed. "None of this is real. I'm not your girlfriend. I'm not your assistant. I have to have a family out there, friends—"

"Had."

"What?" She came closer, still pointing the gun at him.

"You…had." He said slowly. "Not anymore."

"You're lying!" The loathing she'd felt earlier was back in full force. Before she knew it, another shot rang out and Damon's yelp cut through the air.

She had barely realized she'd shot him again.

"I," he wheezed when he could speak again, even more thinly than before. "Not—me. I didn't do it."

Caroline felt the burn of tears and blinked them away. "Do what, exactly?"

He didn't answer.

"Look," he said finally. "Even if your family is…gone. I know," he took a deep, wheezing breath, "where your friends are."

"That's not true. It's not. It's not." She had a family. Not anymore. She had friends. Only Damon knew where.

She needed to think and she couldn't, not now. She couldn't stay here. Couldn't look at the blood on Damon's shirt beginning to drip down the floor, the blood spreading outwards, past Damon's hand, over his stomach, bright red with blood—

_- everywhere. A sodden shirt, blood-drenched shirt._

She couldn't stay here. The very walls seemed to close around her until blood was all she could see.

Caroline turned and fled the room.

She'd been staring at the gun for a while, drawing from the weapon – and the locked bathroom door – what small measure of comfort she could. Realistically, she doubted Damon would be going anywhere. Maybe.

Caroline's gaze didn't leave the gun as she sat across from it on the floor, leaning back tiredly against the sink.

She wanted to pack her bags and leave. Go somewhere far away, somewhere without vampires, without Damon. And now she could. She could just leave, never look back. But if there were few options with Damon, there'd been less without him. It'd be only a matter of time before some other vampire snatched her up. And then what?

Where had the vampires come from anyway? Something about that wasn't right, and yet she couldn't remember anything else other than rules: don't go out at night, look for bites, show your bites, keep Damon happy.

Caroline had the distinct feeling that she'd seen a gun used on a vampire too, uselessly. So why had this one worked?

The thoughts were a mess in her head. She took hold of the gun and fiddled carefully with the barrel. Capacity for six bullets, four now as she cleared them. They looked like they were made of wood. So weird. But was it any weirder than anything else in her life?

She put the bullets back, feeling some small twinge of recognition. A different gun though, in a holster part of a beige uniform, embarrassing. The memory was just pieces, as usual, more vague feelings than concrete images, and Caroline gave up trying to make sense of it. Instead, she stood with a sigh, placed the gun beside the sink and washed her hands. She brushed her teeth and washed her face for good measure. That was normal, or as normal as it got.

Summoning all her resolve and picking up the gun, she unlocked the bathroom door.

She inched to her room cautiously, the house ominously silent. The door was half-open. Caroline didn't remember if she'd left it that way, but a peak through the crack revealed Damon, now leaning against the bed, eyes closed, translucent green shards around him from the bottle, streaks of blood on the hardwood floor. She tensed, realizing he was in better shape than she had expected if he'd hauled himself several feet from where he'd been when she left the room. She opened the door all the way cautiously.

His eyes slid open and he groaned as he shifted to look up at her.

"Feeling better?" he asked with a twist of his lips.

She tilted her head and smiled humorlessly. "Much."

"You're— going to have to clean this up."

"I don't think so." She lifted the gun.

Damon lifted his hands and winced at the effort. "Point taken."

She leaned back against the wall across from him, slid down until she was sitting on the floor. "Why don't I remember anything?"

He paused for a second, as if debating telling her. "It's called compelling. Mind compulsion, yada yada. "

Her brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

"Think of it as…blocking your memories."

She just blinked, trying to make sense of the statement. "Blocking my memories," she repeated. "Forever?"

"'Blocking' not erasing."

"Until when?"

"I'm not sure."

She tried to assimilate his words, yet nothing came. "Why me?"

"Long story. You were—available."

That answer made no sense. "Available?"

"I found you first – you weren't any other vampires property," he added bluntly at her confused look.

"Wait. But it wasn't always like this," she said, lowering the gun.

Damon looked mildly exasperated. "Longer story."

"I've got time." She narrowed her eyes. "Do you _want_ to get shot again?"

He sat up slightly and hissed in pain at the motion. "Not particularly."

"Where did you even take me from?"

"Here. You're from here."

She felt the absence of her memories like an open wound. She was _in her hometown _and she hadn't even known. "Then it should be enough to take me home."

"That's ah—a problem."

"What about my friends?" She went cold. "Did you kill them?"

"I told you already—I didn't do anything." He shook his head. "They escaped."

"Escaped?" she echoed. "From you?"

Damon sighed and shook his head. "Are you even listening?" He grimaced. "I didn't do a thing to your friends."

"So then they ran… from the vampire here?"

He shook his head again. "He's a chump. There's more powerful ones out there."

His explanations only confused her. "But there's only one vampire here."

"Now." Damon shrugged and winced at the motion. "Can we do this later? I'm kind of _shot and bleeding_ here."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "You work for them? These powerful vampires?"

"No."

She stayed quiet. "I can't trust you," she said after a beat. Would she have to shoot him with all the bullets? Would that kill him? Could that kill him? Could she?

"You're forgetting I kept you alive."

Anger flared up at that. "You made me a zombie."

He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but finally spit out. "Fine. Where you found the gun. There was—"

"Tea packets."

"An herb, distributed in tea packets" he corrected. "Vervain—it can keep you from being compelled, if that's what you're afraid of-"

"Why should I believe you?"

He hesitated. "It's poisonous to vampires."

"How poisonous?"

"In small quantities—not very, enough to slow a vampire down. Less strength, speed—"

Caroline stood and left the room without letting Damon finish. As far as teas went, she'd tried it and hadn't been impressed, but if he was right...

He winced when she returned with a steaming mug in one hand, the gun in the other.

"I won't hurt you," he said. "I can take you to your friends without—"

She offered it to him. "I'm going to trust you after this. Right."

"I never hurt you." She didn't blink and he added, "I might not be the only vampire to worry about. Your friends are not exactly close."

"Where are they?"

"South." He made no move towards the mug. "I'm the least of your worries. Honest."

"I doubt it."

He lifted a hand, wincing again. "Scout's honor."

"There's four more bullets in here." She gestured to the gun.

Damon let out a long-suffering sigh and took the tea cup from her with a groan. He took one sniff and twisted his face away. "Jesus," he hissed. "How much vervain did you use?"

"Will it kill you?"

He grimaced. "No."

She smiled. "Enjoy."

He hesitated. "I might not be able to walk for a while."

"How long?"

"Forever?"

Her expression didn't change.

"An hour," he amended.

"I need to shower and pack anyway."

Damon took a sip and promptly started coughing.

"You might as well chug it," Caroline offered helpfully.

"We should leave soon," he warned, drinking more.

"Why?"

"The vampire in this town—doesn't like me much." He drank a bit more, making a face.

Caroline looked at the alarm clock by her bed, then out the window to where it was dark.

He caught her concerned look. "Oh, he's…not the problem." Another pained swallow. "Not anymore."

"How come?"

It took Damon a bit longer to answer her this time, his eyes had acquired a glassy sheen and he was leaning more heavily against her bed. From her vantage point over him, she saw he was past drinking half of the liquid in the mug.

"How come he's not the problem?" Caroline pressed, finally feeling confident enough to leave the gun on the bureau. She poked at his leg with her foot. "You still have more tea."

He raised the mug slowly and tipped it back, shutting his eyes. She kneeled and caught the mug just before it slid out of his slackening grasp.

"Damon," she called out, leaning towards him. "How come the vampire is not the problem?"

He looked at her, but his gaze was blank.

"Damon."

This time, he smiled lazily. "Because I killed him earlier tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Caroline clipped her hair back. She inhaled and closed her eyes, steadying herself. Everything was in place.

Damon lay prone and useless in the backseat. Caroline snuck a glance at him. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to drug him up that much. Caroline started the car, sparing a look to the glove compartment. It had been an eventful night as it was without Damon complicating things with his revelation. She'd barely slept, idly watching some history channel report of a bridge collapse, wondering all the while if it'd be her and the gun against Donnie and whoever was angry that Damon had offed their boss. But even she knew better than to leave at night, especially with Damon being as useless as he was at the moment.

She'd wondered if the gun would be enough if Donnie came by with others, even now-

She stopped the scenario, feeling a chill go through her and her breaths come faster. She pulled out of the house and into an empty road and drove for a while, hands clutching the steering wheel tightly.

Her eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, the side mirrors time and again. A truck came into view a couple of minutes. She felt her stomach clench as it merged in front of her.

Caroline hit the signal light. She speeded up slightly, and switched lanes.

Paranoid, she told herself. It'll ease back. No need to speed up more. You're above the speed limit as is.

But the seconds passed with the truck still only slightly behind her. Was it her imagination or was it going too fast?

To her horror, it switched lanes, positioning itself right behind her.

Caroline sucked in a breath, pushing down the accelerator. The car darted forward, leaving the truck to steadily grow smaller in the rearview mirror. But not before she saw it take an exit. She eased her foot off the gas, slowly. Her eyes scanned the mirrors, once, twice, three times. For a while she was alone again on the road.

It felt like ages before she made it past Wickery Bridge and onto the interstate.

Once there, heart rate under control, she let out a sigh, feeling the tension drain from her back. The murmur of the AC was calming and the road in front of her wavered slightly. She patted her cheek trying to get the heaviness of her eyelids, at least long enough to pull into the nearest rest stop.

Caroline pushed the seat back, a snippet of a memory surfacing. Something about making out in sports cars and it being uncomfortable, but she was too tired to think of it too much. But it was sweet. He was sweet…

She jerked awake at the sound of a crunch, diving back against the door. Her head hit the glass with an audible 'crack' and she felt the flash of pain.

"Ow!" She winced, bringing a hand to her throbbing head.

"I have no idea what you find so _yummy,_" Damon said, now beside her in the passenger seat,_ "_about these rice crackers. They're so tasteless."

The events from hours before came to mind and she found herself recoiling from him. She glared at him and sprung forward snatching the bag from his hands. "You don't need to eat."

"Testy. Did your beauty sleep go wrong?"

"I thought they'd come after me." Caroline dropped the bag on her lap. "I was freaked out the entire time I was driving out of Mystic Falls." She rubbed the gumminess from her face and reaching for the vervain tea to get the yucky taste of sleep from her mouth. "All because of you."

He faked an innocent look. "Who'd be following you anyway?"

She took a sip, shooting him a look and fixed the seat back. "An _employee_ of the vampire you killed."

His eyebrows rose. "Exciting."

"They didn't."

"Guess I wasn't that important."

She made a face. "My heart breaks for you."

"But that means you have nothing to whine about," he said magnanimously. "You made it out- safe and sound."

"No thanks to you."

"Considering that over the past five hours I've been shot twice-"

"The first one was an accident!"

"Poisoned, not to mention been given possibly the worst headache in the last five years-"

Caroline scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me." She brought a hand to the ignition.

His hand darted out, easily slipping between hers and the keys. "I'll drive."

"Aren't you, you know, _drugged_?"

"I can't fight off ninjas, but driving should be no problem." He gave her a sardonic smile. "Low impact. Unless, you'd like to offer some blood. You know in the interest of your own protection."

"Asshole." She leaned back against the seat.

"Do you even know where you're going?" he asked flatly. To her look, he said, "Thought so," and opened the door.

Caroline followed suit, grudgingly acknowledging he was right.

Several minutes passed in silence, Caroline turning it in her head whether she wanted to deal with Damon. But she couldn't hold back the question. "Do you really know where they are? My friends."

He turned his head slightly towards her. "You don't remember their names?"

It took all her effort not to lash out. He did this. His fault. "No. You said I would."

"I hope so. Eventually."

"You hope so. That's incredibly reassuring. Thanks."

"It's not irreparable. And it was the safest option at the time."

"Safest? You couldn't like – talk - to me? Say, hey Caroline why don't you stay with me and not _get killed_?" She made herself stop there and forced herself to take a deep breath.

"I might have tried that several hours ago," the wry tone was back. "Didn't go so well."

"You might have tried it _before_ turning me into a fucking zombie."

"Wasn't gonna work."

"How are you so sure?"

"How are _you_ so sure?"

She let out a breath. This was going nowhere and only getting her more uselessly riled up. As much as she despised him, the sleepless night only confirmed how much she depended on him. "How long?"

Damon paused. "Five years. Off and on."

He must have caught the mix of shock and horror in her face. His own expression became serious. "Caroline," he trailed off, as if looking for the appropriate thing to say. As if he gave a fuck and she closed her eyes. "It's not –look –" she heard him say. "It's not what I would have wanted."

She opened her mouth, but couldn't get the words out.

Damon continued slowly. "Five years ago some very old, very mean vampires - twenty-seven of them to be exact - got loose in Mystic Falls. They made short work of the town and the people that could, ran away, the ones that couldn't were either killed on the spot."

"And the ones that weren't?" she asked.

He hesitated. "They were used as snacks."

"I was a snack," she said finally. "Your snack. For five years." The words came out of her mouth, but she couldn't assimilate them. "And you brainwashed me into thinking that that was what I needed to do, that it was what I was meant to do." Five years. It was incomprehensible. "You're a monster."

She thought she might have gotten to him, from the hard set of his jaw. "This _monster_ is taking you to your friends."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to be grateful."

He darted another quick look at her. "Believe it or not, I rather you not be dead. I compelled you because I couldn't afford to have you end up drained in a ditch."

Caroline looked at the passing landscape, sunny and normal, clusters of trees forming a wall on either side of the two lane road. The only odd thing was the near absence of other cars in the road.

"Not that I expect you to understand that," he said.

"What's in it for you?"

The corner of Damon's lip turned up slightly. "What if I say I'm truly sorry for all that I've put you through and want to make things right?"

"Fuck you."

"Ouch, that mouth. What does it matter what I get out of it? You get your friends and your memory back—both are a matter of time. I know you don't believe me- that's fine. But it's the truth regardless."

Caroline shifted forward and turned on the radio, letting the matter drop entirely. She continued watching the passing landscape, trying hard to think back to some memory. Anything. It couldn't all be gone.

All she accomplished was frustration, followed by more worry. What if she never got them back? What if she was going to live the rest of her life like this? Would she even recognize her friends when she saw them?

"Where are we going anyway?" Better to deal with Damon than to drive herself crazy with questions she couldn't answer.

"South Carolina. Get comfortable."

Caroline reached for the water bottle. She summoned the image of the woman in the photo. She thought she could imagine her smile, but something about it gave her the creeps.

When she came to, the car had stopped. She must have drifted off at some point, as the landscape grew more monotonous. The last thing she remembered were ripped up billboards lead up to some garish Mexican-themed rest stop from several miles near the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. The music had stopped at some point, some news bulletin or other promising a cash reward for some warehouse thieves or something.

"Where are we?" Caroline murmured drowsily, eyes latching on to the digital clock blaring five-thirty. She rubbed her eyes. Before them lay a Waffle House, the neon 'open' sign at the door was missing the 'o'.

"We should eat and call it a night soon." She heard an odd tension in Damon's voice. "It's getting late."

She stretched. "It's not even seven."

"Creatures of the night, remember?"

"Yeah, but it's still light out." Caroline yawned.

"It attracts less attention to stop here now."

In her current befuddled state, she was still trying to make sense of their trip. "How much longer?"

"Not long. But we can't keep going tonight." He reached towards her, before she could ask anything else, and took the hair clip, leaving her hair to fall over her face. "Keep it down, just in case." He added by way of explanation, "You don't have marks anymore."

Caroline didn't like the edge in his voice and reached for the gun in the glove compartment. Damon snatched her wrist.

"You're not taking the gun."

She bristled. "But—"

"Wooden bullets don't kill a vampire. They keep him down long enough to stake." He released her and leaned forward to get the gun. He slid it under the driver's seat.

"Wait, but you-" But then he'd walked out and she had no choice but to follow him into the diner, the unease intensifying.

Once inside, Damon slid into one the booths near the exit and she joined him, not managing to imitate the comfortable way Damon leaned back. She couldn't keep from looking around or feeling a bit nervous at how empty the place was.

Caroline folded her hands together, trying to keep her breaths measured. The smell of bacon and coffee lingered in the air and her stomach grumbled, reminding her they—she'd—skipped lunch. She spied maybe two other occupied tables across from them and a person at the counter—

"Hi there, what can I get for you?"

She flinched and looked up at their waitress, a heavy-set middle-aged woman with her sandy blonde hair pulled back into a bun. Two distinct puncture wounds on her neck caught Caroline's eye and she brought a hand up to her hair.

"Nothing for me," Damon said with his usual flair, eyes drifting over her nametag. "Beth. I already ate." He smiled and the woman didn't even blink.

She turned to Caroline. "How about you, honey?"

Caroline scanned the menu.

"She'll have a hamburger," Damon said. "No onions. And a Diet Coke."

"Got it."

Their waitress left and Caroline glared at him. "You didn't have to order for me."

He shrugged. "You were going to end up ordering that anyway."

"Compelling." She smiled grimly. "Gotcha. Have I been having hamburgers for dinner during the last five years?"

"It's got nothing to do with compelling. People are creatures of habit."

She narrowed her eyes, but let it go. Instead, she leaned forward, whispering, "How can it be that woode-"

"Sh," Damon interrupted sharply. He gestured to his ear and Caroline slumped back. "So," he continued conversationally, "hamburger."

"Are there any...?" Caroline let her voice drift away and made a point of looking around the room.

He shook his head.

She sneaked another look at the empty restaurant. "I know humans don't go out at night as a rule, but how do people travel if it's so dangerous?"

"They don't."

The door dinged open behind them and a voice called out, "Hey Beth! Beth!"

Caroline turned in the direction of the voice. A girl approached the counter, curly auburn hair loose around her shoulders, clad in some godawful Capri pants and a tangerine colored shirt. She looked no older than a freshman or sophomore in high school.

Their waitress stepped out, a look of consternation on her face. "I'm working, Kate."

"You were busy last night too," Kate said with a toothy smile and Caroline's eyes widened at the fangs and the blood contorting her face. She turned back, eyes flickering to Damon, stricken.

"Can we talk?" Caroline heard the vampire ask brazenly.

Beth's expression changed from annoyed to pained. "Kate."

"No one minds," she raised her voice and looked around, features still grotesque. "Does anyone mind if I borrow Beth here for one itsy bitsy second?"

Caroline looked up to see Damon flash her warning look. In spite of herself, she'd begun panting a little and started feeling a little lightheaded. Her back itched where sweat accumulated. She needed to leave. Now.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Damon shift back on the rounded booth, drawing close. She scooted away. He grasped her arm before she could go further.

"Easy," he murmured by her ear.

She felt the beginning of a scream catch in her throat. The tension reached a crescendo, drawing to a fevered pitch that had her entire body coiled, poised for flight.

"Caroline, you have two options. You either calm down. Or I calm you down."

She snapped her head towards him.

His expression didn't betray anything, but she knew. And compelling didn't seem so bad just then, she almost considered it. Better than the fear, that an any moment that girl could saunter over-

She inhaled and closed her eyes. _Focus._

"See? No one minds." The young vampire's voice rang out. "Come on."

"Kate, no." Caroline opened her eyes to see their waitress pleading lightly. "Can't you come back later?"

The vampire stared at her. "This is more convenient…" she said slowly. "Isn't it?"

Beth looked as if she were about to disagree, but a blank expression slowly came over her face. "It is," she said, letting herself be lead out.

Caroline couldn't look away, imaging that same expressionless look on her face. _Zombie._

She didn't know what was worse.

Once the door closed, Caroline sagged in relief. She let the seconds tick by in silence, then attempted to pull her arm from Damon's grasp.

His grip didn't lessen, she looked at him quizzically. "Shouldn't you do-" He squeezed and she winced at the pain. "Ow."

He tilted his head slightly giving her another warning look. Caroline bit her lip hard.

Several minutes later what looked like the one of the cooks emerged with Caroline's order. She looked at her salad and felt slightly queasy, but made herself take the first forkful of lettuce, then another and another, vaguely comforted by the repetition.

A sugary voice spoke above her, "Excuse me."

She looked up slowly to meet the girl's eyes, green with flecks of hazel, then back to Damon. The girl must have known about him. How? Could they sense each other?

"You guys are new here right?"

"Give the pretty girl a prize," Damon answered with a smile, still at ease.

Caroline turned back to her burger to have something to do that wouldn't betray her growing panic.

"Cute." Kate smiled back, but it was closer to a sneer. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your dinner."

"Not at all," he replied.

"Happy to hear it. I just wanted to say hello and welcome you to my area."

Damon's eyebrows rose. "Your area? Not bad."

"Just so you know to keep to yourselves," she said her smile not wavering despite the threat.

Caroline went still. She must have heard. But Damon's smile never wavered.

"Right. Say, considering that we're," he gestured to Caroline and himself, "not from around here, I was wondering if you knew of a motel, a lot of the ones near the highway are closed up."

She smiled. "Glad you asked."

Caroline took a bite out of her burger.

"Try the Star on Route Twenty One—it's the closest. Dinner's included of course." She looked at Caroline meaningfully. "Not that I imagine you need it."

"I'll keep that in mind though. Thanks."

She looked over to Caroline. "How's your meal, Miss?"

Caroline forced a smile and swallowed. "Yummy."

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "Y'all have a good night."

Caroline watched her leave.

"Thought you weren't hungry."

She scowled at him over her now-empty plate. "I wasn't."

"Ready to go?"

"Yes."

Damon left the tip and followed her out the door and back to the car. Her mind was still going over what the vampire had said. _Dinner included_. What did that even mean? She was still turning it over when, along the way, she caught sight of their waitress, Beth. She was leaning against the side of the building, holding what looked like a towel to her neck while smoking.

"Don't do anything stupid." She heard Damon mutter behind her.

"Helping someone out isn't stupid," she protested as soon as she'd closed the car door. "To just watch—"

"The waitress is probably used to it. And still alive. That's a plus." He said backing out of their spot and turning out to the road. "_Everyone_ is used to it."

She looked away. "Doesn't make it right."

"Don't be naïve."

She stayed quiet for a beat. Then another thought occurred to her. "What did you mean 'wooden bullets can't kill vampires'?"

"Just that. Wooden bullets can't kill vampires. They can piss one off though."

"So then when I shot you—"

"I opted for friendly conversation, being the exceedingly good-natured person I am."

"Why didn't you say so?"

"Would you have listened? Wooden bullets can't kill a vampire, but they still hurt. Getting shot twice, as irritating as it is, is better than getting shot six times."

Caroline stayed silent, taking it in. "That vampire though, at the diner, was threatening us, wasn't she?"

"The young ones like to preen."

"And that whole 'dinner included' business?"

"I'm not sure."

"I mean, why did you even ask for a recommendation? We have this." She gestured to the GPS. "And we're not exactly low on cash. Can't we keep going."

"It's too far. Besides its polite. Let's her know I have no intention of interfering with whatever she has going here. And there was nothing open on our way here. Done with the questioning?"

Caroline scowled, but didn't ask any more.

It was only when they pulled up to a dilapidated complex with a garish neon sign that read "Star Motel" that Caroline's unease took hold of her.

She shook her head. "No."

"What?"

"It was recommended by a _vampire,_" she spluttered. "She said '_dinner included'._"

"You're being—"

But Caroline had opened the door and scampered out. Would she have to _watch_ Damon drain someone? She couldn't. She wouldn't.

"Caroline!" he called out.

"I'm not going to do this," she said, walking, almost sprinting out to the road. It was too much. "I'm not."

"Do what?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm not watching you feed! I'm not!"

"This is the easiest- Caroline, where are you going?"

"Away!" she yelled, exasperated. She felt him grasp her arm and tried to squirm out of his grip. "Let me-"

"Don't you get it?" Damon hissed. "_Anywhere_ can easily be a vampire all-you-can-eat after dark. We don't have the luxury of looking for a place where you feel comfortable. Go, if you want, but know it's a matter of time before some vampire grabs you, tears open your throat, and leaves your corpse out for morning clean-up. That's an _occupation _now, by the way." He let her go roughly and returned to the car.

Caroline watched him get the duffel bags. Then she'd never see her friends. She'd never know who she was. There would just be…this. Clenching her jaw, she walked back.

"I'm not watching you feed," she said.

"Fine," he replied and Caroline followed him into the reception.

A balding man sat behind the desk, half-dozing, half-watching the TV. His eyes slid to them once they walked in.

"Room for two?" he asked flatly. "Single bed or double?"

"Double," Caroline replied.

"I'll need the cash up front." The man named the amount and Caroline stiffened at the exorbitant price.

But "No problem," was all Damon said, passing the wad of folded bills to the man who counted them.

"Room fourteen is to your left." The man gestured to the opposite side of the lot and handed Damon the key.

Caroline thanked him, but he'd already gone back to watching the TV.

Damon was already out the door and she doubled her pace to catch up. He was a bit too quiet for him, which burned her up. He didn't have the right to be angry.

And so when he'd dropped the duffel bags in the room and bit off a terse, "I'll see you later," Caroline barely managed a sharp "Fine," before stepping into the bathroom and slamming it shut so hard the walls shook. She wouldn't watch him feed, but she knew he would. Who would it be someone like her? Someone who had no clue where she was or who she was? She was traveling with a murderer. Would he change his mind and kill her anyway? Was this a trap?

Caroline sat down on the toilet and cradled her head in her hands. She would rather be alone a million times over. It was just as it had been when she'd had nothing but him, when she'd been a zombie, stuck with him without any hope of escape. He did this to her, she though feeling something inside her crack. The tears dripped down hot on her cheeks as she sobbed. She had no choice, not even now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

She cried until she couldn't, then showered. Meanwhile, all the she could think about was her friends. She had to believe he was leading her to them. She couldn't bear the alternative.

Damon still wasn't back by the time she was done. The air conditioner wasn't working too well and her skin started feeling clammy, she pulled her hair back into a makeshift ponytail and switched her shirt for a tank top. Caroline crawled into her bed; the mattress was flimsy and she could feel the springs digging lightly into her back.

She twisted and turned under the scratchy sheets, but couldn't sleep. Exasperated, Caroline sat up and reached for the remote control. She turned on the TV and flipped through a couple of channels absent mindedly, but neither the news, or cop shows held her attention for long. Just like when she'd felt like leaving the house and happened upon that thug.

Just like Charleston…

Caroline closed her eyes. _It was cooler by the veranda_. _The crowd had made it almost unbearably hot inside the house. She sensed someone's eyes on her and turned. _

_An older, dark-haired woman was watching her…_

Caroline opened her eyes, before anything else could surface. She could still taste the fear. Her throat was dry and she reached for the vervain tea. It tasted horrible, but it was better than nothing. She walked over to the window and pushed aside the blinds. It was dark by now, but the lot was more or less well-lit, as far as she could see. There didn't seem to be anyone around, which didn't surprise her at this point. The car was one of two in the lot.

Damon couldn't have gone far. There was nothing around.

She paced around the room, bottle in hand. The sensible thing would be to stay in. Or to wait for Damon. For what? Her mind supplied and Caroline admitted she didn't really know. Habit.

She found herself by the window again, restlessness beating into her bones. She saw one figure at a distance, near the parking lot, small and slight- a kid? But what was a kid doing out alone at night?

She pulled on a pair of sweats and changed to a shirt, and dashed out the door, bottle still in hand.

"Hey!" she called to the boy as she approached. She was close enough to see he was maybe seven or eight with dark hair.

He took a couple of steps back at the sound of her voice.

"It's kind of late for you to be out." Caroline tried keeping her tone light. "Where are your parents?"

"Are you the vampire?"

Caroline froze. "No."

"I'm supposed to wait for the vampire."

She furrowed her brows, stifling the impulse to run back to the room. Her heart had started pounding, hard. "Who told you that?"

"My dad."

Caroline gave a quick look around. "Come with me," she blurted out, reaching for his hand.

The boy moved away, fear stark in his face.

She drew forward and grabbed his arm. The car was closer than the room. If anything, the gun was there.

"It's not safe here."

"Let go!" He tried to squirm out of her grasp, reminding her that she'd never been good with kids anyway. "My dad told me to stay here!"

"Vampires will hurt you," she said, gritting her teeth at the effort of almost dragging the boy. "You shouldn't be outside! I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to keep you safe!"

She ended up pulled the kid's arms back like some screwed up cop show. He was skinny enough that with some effort she managed to keep him from getting away from her. The water bottle she held at the crook of her arm almost fell once or twice, but she got them close to the car, if with several scrapes on her shin and much yelling. She placed the water bottle on the roof of the car, shifting to a quick one-handed hold, readying to get her keys

But then realized she forgot one thing. The keys.

Stupid. Stupid. So stupid.

"What's going on here?" Caroline turned her head to see the man at the reception. Now less, relaxed than he'd seem earlier he was pointing a shotgun in her direction.

"Thank god," she exhaled. The boy had gone utterly still, enough so she could loosen her hold. "It's okay," she squatted down to tell him before addressing the older man. "I'm so glad you're here. This boy, he was out—"

"Hands off, miss."

Something about his tone of voice made warning bells ring in her head. "He said he was supposed to wait—"

"You shouldn't interfere with other people's business."

She laughed nervously and stood. "What are you talking about?"

"Go back to your room, miss. This doesn't concern you."

"I don't un-"

"I'm serious." She swallowed and shook her head. He cocked the gun. "Don't make me—"

"That won't be necessary," a male voice spoke up by her side.

Caroline shut her eyes, knowing by how quickly he'd shown up. _Vampire._

"She came with someone."

Caroline opened her eyes and snuck a look at the vampire. He looked older than Damon, shorter. But almost ordinary, decked in t-shirt and jeans. "She's got no marks," he told the man. She brought her hands to her neck self-consciously, finding her neck bare. Shit.

"It'll cost you," the man said, lowering his gun.

She knew it wouldn't work, she knew it was useless, but still cried out. "Wait! Aren't you going to do something?"

"I'm willing to pay," the vampire told the man, ignoring Caroline.

The man didn't look at her. Instead, his eyes sought the kid. "You know what your dad told you," was all he said, before turning away, without addressing Caroline.

"Hey!" she yelled as he ambled between the buildings to where the reception was. "You can't—"

"You're not from around here are you?" The vampire's voice was laced with amusement.

She pulled the kid behind her and turned her attention to the vampire. "Neither are you."

"I stop here from time to time. It's not often that I see humans with no owners."

She gave him a brittle smile, positioning herself between the vampire and the boy. "What makes you think I don't have an owner?" For a second she was back in Mystic falls, Donnie clutching her wrist.

The vampire tilted his head. "It's really…rare to find a human without marks."

She darted a look at the water bottle on the roof of the car. That was something. She approached the vampire against every screaming reflex, every step should keep his eyes on her.

"Funny," she tried keeping her voice even. "I met someone recently – he said he didn't have marks either."

Trying to control her trembling, she reached for the water bottle and took a drink.

"Really?" The vampire advanced. "I think you'll make a tasty appetizer." Two steps and he was before her, close enough to bringing a cold hand up to the underside of her jaw. He hadn't exerted much force, she wrenched from his grasp, look at him. He hadn't expected that.

Much less the mouthful of vervain tea that she spat in his face.

"Run!" she turned to scream at the kid as the vampire brought a hand to his eyes with a cry.

The distraction was brief. He slammed her against the car, pain spreading from her spine out to the small of her back. She lost her hold on the bottle. It fell and rolled away, but she didn't register any more for the blinding throb of her back. The vampire wrapped a hand around her throat, squeezing. She clawed at his arm, gasping for air.

Caroline shut her eyes tightly as he pushed her head to the side. Terror washed over her until she remembered the vervain. It had to be still in her system, she thought with a rush. Caroline readied herself for the bite—

"That's rude."

She opened her eyes to see Damon, hands in his pockets, strolling towards them.

"No respect for other people's property these days. Makes me feel old to say, but it's true"

The pressure keeping her head to the side lessened, there was only the vampire's hand on her neck.

He hissed at Damon. "She's got no marks."

Damon smiled. "You have a lot to learn if you think that's the only serviceable artery. Frankly, all this?" He gestured towards the neck as he neared. "Kind of cliché."

"I don't believe you. There are rules."

"To each his own, I guess," Damon replied cheerily. Caroline fell as the vampire let her go. She collapsed in a heap by the car, coughing. She heard the sounds of a struggle behind her, but dove for the water bottle a few feet from her.

She pulled back just in time to see Damon getting slammed into the car, less than two feet from her.

"Keys," she wheezed as Damon feinted, avoiding the vampire's blows. She thought Damon might have looked at her when she did, but he was diving for the vampire's neck, and they were off struggling a good ten feet away now.

"Caroline," Damon called out, voice level for the effort.

The keys landed in front of her and she pushed out the pain to grab them and duck into the car. Under the seat—the gun was under the seat. She ducked for it, despite her aching back, damning Damon all the while.

She'd gotten her hands on the handle when a shot rang out through the air. Startled, she straightened up, feeling her head collide with something hard that gave. She cried out at it hit the small of her back, before it rolled out of the car, landing on the ground with a crash. Without pausing to check what it was, Caroline ducked again for the gun.

Another shot rang through the air and this time she did scramble out of the car, hands raised, leaving the gun on the driver's seat.

The scene that greeted her once she got out was the man from before with his shotgun, pointing it at her. She saw another figure walk out from between the buildings. It darted back into the shadows after catching sight of the chaos.

The vampire who had attacked lay unmoving several feet away. Damon pulled something from the vampire's body, stake, her mind supplied dizzily wondering how he got it.

Regardless, Damon was at the man's throat in an instant.

"I didn't know she was yours!" the man pleaded. "She had no marks. The boy's blood was sold here fair and square. She had no right to interfe—"

"Damon, no!" she cried out as he twisted the man's head. The man's body crumpled to the ground, shotgun clacking against the pavement beside him. She turned her head, but it was too late, the image was already engraved in her head.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the GPS by her foot, the display shattered. That was what had fallen out of the car, she thought dully.

Damon was rounding the car to the driver's side. "Get in the car."

The boy, she looked around the complex and caught sight of him several feet from her, half-hidden in the shadows from the soda machine.

"Caroline, get in the car."

"There's a little boy—" But it'd be useless to say and she sprinted out towards the kid.

"Caroline!"

"Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly. "You can come out now. It's okay."

The man she'd seen from between the buildings came into her line of vision. A hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Let go of him, I swear to god-"

"He's my son."

"How do I know-"

Damon was beside her. "We don't have time for you to play hero—"

"Give me back my stake," the man demanded.

Damon's eyes flickered dangerously towards him and his hand snaked out to grab him by the throat as he had the man with the shotgun.

"That stake is mine!" The man wheezed out.

"Damon no!" Caroline grabbed his arm.

He let him go and the man collapsed in a flurry of coughs. When he looked up he cried out, "Jeff!"

Damon yanked Caroline back by the wrist. "We. Are. Leaving."

"How could you leave him alone out here?" she asked the man accusingly.

Fury darkened his features. "You have no idea."

"What do you mean by that?" she yelped and pulled, but couldn't keep from being dragged forward. "Damon, please. We can't leave them here."

"I have a hard enough time keeping _you_ alive."

"You can't leave him here. I won't say anything about anything," she begged increasingly frantic. "You can't leave him. Please." She scrambled for anything in her appeal. "We lost the GPS. Maybe they know—"

The man called out. "You just signed our death warrants!"

Damon stopped and Caroline held her breath. "I don't suppose you'd know how to get to Siloh Island?"

"Not since the bridge was blown up. That where you're going?"

"See?" Damon continued dragging her. "Useless."

"I know people at Maften," the man called out again. "That's close enough."

"Where are you headed to exactly?" Damon stopped and turned around.

"Anywhere but here. They'll blame us for this."

"Who's 'they'?" Caroline asked.

"Vamps."

Damon pulled her along. "And that's why we don't get involved."

"But you are now," the man said.

"He's right," Caroline continued pulling against his grip. "You said it's not long - "

"Trips have a way of complicating when it's more than two people. Get in the car."

"I'm not getting in the car. You can't compel me either – I was stupid enough to fall for that earlier, but not now. You can't. There's vervain in my system. We can take them with us and have things easy or this trip will get a lot messier." She gestured for the man and the boy to get in.

Damon brought a hand to rub his forehead. "Caroline." He looked at her meaningfully as they climbed into the car. ""When this goes terribly wrong," he murmured to her below their companions' hearing level. "And it will. I'm going to tell you I told you so."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up and drive."

"If you have any news about these criminals—"

Caroline let out a disgusted sigh. "Do they have to run these, every five minutes?" she muttered.

Damon looked towards the rearview mirror. "So…"

"Mike," the man supplied helpfully.

"Mike, what's the fastest way back to I-95?"

"Left, about four miles."

Caroline turned in her seat to look at the boy, ignoring the dull hammering of pain at her back. "Are you okay?"

He nodded mutely.

"I'm Caroline. What's your name?"

"Jeff," the dad told her. "His name is Jeff. Where are you from?"

Caroline turned back, still unable to make sense that the man sold his own son off. It was Damon who said, "Not far. You?"

Mike didn't comment on the evasiveness, offering some of his own. "Close enough to hitchhike. I used to have family here. Thought they might be here still and we could stay with them…"

The rest stops they passed looked abandoned, like ghost towns on the side of the road. The highway itself didn't seem any different, the shadows swallowing the illumination from the headlights.

"So we're going to Siloh Island?" Caroline asked softly.

Damon didn't respond.

"You won't find much here," Mike spoke up before Caroline could ask again. "Not at this hour. I'd exit and try for route 17, there might be something there."

Damon grudgingly exited the highway and they traveled along a smaller road for about an hour before coming up a small motel.

"Will it be safe?" Caroline asked when Damon turned off the car.

"For him," Mike said. "A lot of these motels won't take unattached humans."

"Just in case you get one of those impulses-" Damon told Caroline. "Don't. I'll be right back." Damon shut the door.

She looked at him through the rearview mirror. "What's in Siloh Island?"

He shrugged. "Crazies. Shoot first kind of people."

Caroline's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"About five years back," he gave her an odd look. "They blew up a bridge tore up damn near a half of the coastline. Now and then they're on the news, raids on the bases, warehouses or some such. Like the news says."

Caroline gaped at him. "_Military_ bases?" Her friends were the people on the news?

"They say there's vamps with them." He smiled grimly. "Doesn't make a whole lot of sense - they make a point of staking or flaming as many of them whenever they're here. Whoever the vamps have with them gets the short end of the stick too. The news loves that_._ You didn't know?" the man asked at her expression.

"No," she said.

He laughed. "Where has your vampire been keeping you? Don't you listen to the ne-?"

"He's not my vampire."

"Then what's he doing keeping you alive?"

Caroline closed her eyes.

"It ain't shameful to be owned," he softened his tone. "I hear there's not one human in the city without a vampire. You never hear any stories about them. Everyone just keeps to themselves."

"You're confused." She turned around to face him. "Damon is not like the others. It doesn't mean he's any better, but he's not my owner."

"Believe what you want miss, but if he weren't," he said, learning forward. "We wouldn't be talking right now. That's just the way it is."

"Why would you take a chance if Damon was like that?"

"It's a hell of a lot better than anything else out there."

Caroline turned back to face the front.

"Why would a vampire want to go to Siloh anyway?"

"My friends are there," she said dully.

The man didn't say anything else.

Damon told them to keep their heads down as they went in. A grandmotherly woman, looked at them curiously at they went up the stairs. He'd probably told her they were his road snacks. The thought chilled her and she dismissed it.

Caroline ducked into the bathroom as soon as she got to the room. There, she peeled the shirt up. The skin was unbroken, but there was a bright red welt at the small of her back, where it had hit the car door.

She pulled the shirt back down, the conversation with Mike vivid in her head. Given how things were, she told herself, it was a good thing her friends ended up with 'shoot first' people.

It meant they were more likely to be alive.

She walked out and sat on the bed with a wince, turning to lie on her stomach. She was annoyed that Damon had left the duffel bag with her toiletries behind. It made her feel silly, thinking about her toothbrush when she'd been lucky enough to get out alive.

"How's the back?" Damon called out from his reclined position on the bed next to hers.

"Fine," she said, voice muffled through the pillow.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't tried the whole hero shtick." He stood up and slid open the drawer of the bedside table between the beds, pulling out the remote control.

She turned her head to face him. "No, I should have let that kid get drained and thrown on a ditch. That's what you would have done. Or maybe you would have helped."

He snorted. "Not my cup of tea. And they usually don't kill them, you know," he said conversationally.

"Doesn't make any of that less messed up."

"Chances are the dad just needed some quick cash and a place to stay. They wouldn't have gotten too far if Mike hadn't made the deal. It's pretty common."

"Jeff's just a kid."

"So? Some consider that gourmet."

Her stomach turned and she looked for some trace of emotion save the nonchalance. "This is _normal_?"

He shrugged. "Normal is relative. Two days ago normal was you tidying up the house with a nice exercise break at one."

"And providing a nice neck for you to suck on," she muttered.

"Ah." Damon smiled wolfishly. "That _was _convenient. Bummer."

"So now what? You prowl around like the vampire that almost snacked on Jeff?" She curled her lip in disgust.

"You offend me," he said. "Most of the time, that's where compulsion comes in."

"Most of the time?" She lowered her head. "You're disgusting."

"In my defense I haven't drained one of you in ages."

"Ages?"

"Hyperbole, but the point is it's been a while, which should be give me some points."

Something else was bothering her. Five years was a long time to be cohabiting with someone. "And that's," she stumbled slightly. "That's all you made me do for you…" She felt her face burn.

"Well…there was the time I had this craving for upside down pineapple cake. Of course I had to extra-compel you to clean the kitchen afterwards-"

"Damon."

"If you're asking if we had sex. The answer is no."

She exhaled.

"Are you remembering something yet?"

She sighed. "Pieces."

"About what?"

"Charleston, I think." She slid her hands under the pillow. " There was this woman." She let her voice trail off in the hope that Damon might fill her in. When he didn't, she continued. "Is that why we're going to my friends? Mike told me about them. He said," she managed a humorless laugh. "He said they're not exactly friendly—especially to vampires or to people with them. If we're doing this, then it's got to be because there's something worse here."

Damon's eyes flickered over to her, expression veiled. "You're assuming your friends don't know me."

She blinked, trying to work it out.

_They say there's vamps with them._

Caroline's eyes widened. "You're with them?"

"Let's just say my brother is their fearless leader's main squeeze."

"Your brother?" She remembered the photo of the boy with the too-serious face. "So the group in the island is led by…vampires?"

"He's the only one, as far as I know." He stretched. "But I'm not sure. I haven't seen them since they left."

She shifted to her side trying to piece everything together. "Why didn't you go with them?"

He went to turn off the lights, the TV becoming the only light in the room. "Someone had to look for you."

"But why—"

"Can we wrap the Q & A up?" She saw him lay back on his bed.

"You can't expect me not to wonder."

"No, but we're out as soon as the sun goes up and I don't want to be dragging you around. Don't make me compel you to sleep."

"You can't. Vervain."

"Don't make me regret that more than I do already."

"You're such an asshole."

"Sweet dreams, princess."

Five minutes of some chatter from some infomercial and she felt herself begin to drift off.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"_Not bad," Matt yelled over the music. He caught sight of her surly expression and laughed. "Okay, it looks fantastic."_

"_I still can't believe they turned down my ice sculpture idea."_

"_Didn't you go over budget as it was?"_

_She waved a hand dismissively. "It's prom, if there's any time to go all out, it's now. It's the last time we get to be together as a class. Officially."_

_He grinned at her good-naturedly. "Wanna dance?"_

"_I want to find Elena first." She dug through her purse for her phone. "She texted me that she was on her way."_

"_Well we're not going to see her in this mess," he said gesturing to the crowd around them. "Text her that we'll be by the punch bowl." He shook his head, leading her through the dancing couples. "I can't believe they gave Saltzman punch duty."_

_Caroline put the phone away and looked up to see their teacher's forlorn figure. "I know. It sucks. Tyler's dad is such a jerk"_

"_What happened exactly?" Matt lowered his voice a little as they approached the table. . _

"_I'll get Elena to tell you when she gets here." _

"_Hey Mr. Saltzman," Matt called._

_Mr. Saltzman smiled. "You clean up well." He shook Matt's offered hand. "You look very nice, Caroline." _

_Caroline grinned. "Thank you. So, this might be kind of awkward to ask—"_

_Mr. Saltzman raised his hands. "If it's about the prom queen results, I don't know anything."_

"_But you didn't even hear what I was going to ask!" _

_He sighed and Matt gave him a sympathetic look. Caroline swatted at him before continuing. "I was just going to ask who you think is going to win. I know Elena's got the looks, but you have to admit that historically blondes tend to win more. I mean look at the Miss America pageant."_

"_That's a pageant, Caroline." Matt corrected lightly._

"_It's really similar!"_

"_I'm sure was a difficult choice for everyone," Mr. Saltzman replied._

"_But who do you think is going to win?"_

_Their teacher chuckled. "I honestly don't know."_

"_Okay," she continued undaunted, "If you could—who would you vote for? I mean being totally objective—I know you're dating Jenn-"_

"_Caroline," Matt warned._

_She was undaunted. "It's a perfectly fair question!"_

"_You know I can't say."_

"_But—"_

"_I think I see Elena and Stefan," Matt interrupted her a little too enthusiastically, pulling her away from their teacher. "See you around, Mr. Saltzman."_

"_Have fun," he called after them._

"_You're such a party pooper," Caroline grumbled. "Were you lying?"_

"_No, look at them," he gestured to the couple on the other side of the room and waved at them, Caroline with him. They seemed to be scanning the crowd and Elena, clad in a strapless blue dress, waved excitedly back once she caught sight of them. Caroline beamed and pulled at Matt._

"_Come on."_

"_Why don't we wait for them here? I'm not sure I want to go through the dance floor again." _

"_Her dress," she fawned, "is so pretty."_

"_Didn't you all you girls go together to pick your dresses?"_

"_Seeing someone wear a dress in a fitting room is not like seeing it on them when they have the right make up and right accessories."_

"_My bad," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I would think you look gorgeous even without the" right make up" and "right accessories.""_

_She looked up at him and feigned an annoyance. "I'm hoping you're not saying I wasted all those hours getting ready."_

"_No," he replied. "I'm hoping you're not thinking you don't look amazing, because you do." He pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered. "Even better than Elena."_

_She threw her head back and laughed. _

"_What?" he pretended to be hurt. "My opinion doesn't count anymore?"_

_Caroline turned around and linked her arms around his neck, pulling his head down for a kiss. She pulled back slightly and whispered, "No, it doesn't."_

"_I don't see why you were rushing me if you were so busy," she heard a familiar voice say beside her. Caroline broke from Matt's embrace with a squeal to hug her best friend. _

"_I can't believe that dress. You look like a movie star."_

"_So do you!" Elena pulled away to look at her. "You didn't tell me about the earrings."_

"_I just got them yesterday."_

"_Hey, have you heard from Bonnie. I wanted us to take a picture of all of us, but I don't see her."_

"_I texted Bonnie a bit ago and she didn't text me back," Caroline told her._

"_Yeah, I just called and she didn't pick up," Elena sighed. "Ben's not the most punctual person and you know Bonnie—she's probably busy leaving her twentieth message on his voicemail. Hi Matt, you look great" She leaned to gave him a friendly hug, while Caroline did the same with Stefan._

"_Caroline said you know something about why Mr. Saltzman got punch duty?" Matt began._

_Stefan snorted. _

"_That good, huh," Matt grinned._

"_Well-deserved." Stefan nodded, amused. _

"_Now I really wanna know."_

_Elena leaned forward. "You gotta promise me you won't tell Jenna-"_

_Caroline wanted to hear more, but Elena's voice was had been growing fainter and fainter. All she could hear now was her own name._

"_Caroline. Caroline._ _Caroline…"_

She'd blinked awake to someone gently shaking her shoulder and calling her name. Damon.

He pulled away as soon as she woke up. "Get ready, and go get Mike and Jeff."

Caroline could still see the decorations in the gym, hear Matt's laugh, smell Elena's perfume. The dream was too real not to be a memory. For a second, she just sat there, holding their images in her mind's eye.

"Caroline?"

"I heard you," she said. Pain flowered as she sat up and she brought a hand to her back. "What are you going to do?"

"Make a phone call - I'll meet you in the car."

She nodded, put her shoes on, and walked over to the bathroom. Still bemoaning the loss of her clothes and toiletries, she rinsed her mouth and washed her face.

After, she went to the room next door. Her back still hurt, reminding her of the previous night. She knocked twice on the door.

Mike answered before long, and stared at her sleepily, hair tousled and feet bare.

"We're leaving soon," she told him.

He nodded. "All right, let me get Jeff up."

"Okay." She wondered if she should go down to the car, she decided against it. "I'll wait."

He gave her one last nod, before closing the door.

Caroline stifled a yawn, and fiddled with her hair. She'd kill for a hairbrush, but for now a ponytail would have to do.

The door clicked open and Mike emerged with Jeff trailing behind him. They went down the first flight of stairs in silence. "If you don't mind," she began, the curiosity killing her. "How did it start? Where you live, I mean."

He inhaled and his eyes fell on his son ahead of them. "Nothing too dramatic. A couple of vamps moved in. People started…disappearing. Or giving them stuff for free. That kind of thing."

There was no one at reception, but Caroline lowered her voice eyes flickering to Jeff. "And no one thought to stake them?"

"No one knew where to find them. By then we heard that other towns had the same problem. Word got around that they did manage to stake one in Edmondville." They walked out and Caroline beeped the car open, Jeff rushed ahead of them.

"The next night," Mike continued. "They said there wasn't any Edmondville, just bodies in the streets. No one talked about staking after that."

Damon stopped for gas scarcely five minutes after they'd left the motel. It was as bright as it had been the day before, the landscape flatter than most Caroline remembered from what they'd covered yesterday. She was just passing her half of her Twinkie back so Jeff could have it, when the whine of a police siren rang through the air.

She looked over at Damon, who said nonchalantly, "I _am_ over the speed limit."

"Get out in the next exit," Mike called out.

"Since we have company—a couple of steps ahead might help."

"Take the next left after the exit. Follow the road till I tell you."

Damon speeded and took the left and they were back on a straight road, narrower than the others. A dense row of trees towered from either side. The cop car still behind them. The vegetation grew sparser and they passed a row of small houses. She could see between the trees now and caught a glimpse of a lake or lagoon and a shack near it as they sped by.

A truck came into view and Damon easily switched onto the opposite lane to overtake it, speeding up further.

She couldn't see much of anything now with how fast they were going. Only that the trees seemed to have thinned out to a flatter landscape. She thought they may have passed near some lagoons, before taking a hard left and ducking back into another expanse of road bordered by trees.

"Damon, don't you think you should slo—"

They landed in a pothole hard enough for her seatbelt to yank her back hard, making her yelp as the bruise banged against the seat. "Damon, slow down! We're clear."

He didn't look at her or decelerate and as they hit another pothole. "You think he's not letting all his friends know?"

"Right and going a million miles an hour won't be suspicious at all!" She gritted her teeth as they hit another.

An abandoned gas station went by at the blink of an eye. The car skidded when they rounded a curve, and finally Damon began to slow down.

"So if there's no bridge, how exactly are we getting there?"

"I made some arrangements."

"Turn coming up," Mike called from the backseat. "Keep following the road."

Gradually the trees grew more gnarled, looking as if they were stooping and Caroline spied the coastline in the horizon, the ragged structure of the bombed out bridge bracketing it, looking utterly unreal.

"Next turn," Mike said.

There were more fences around this area, bordering the properties and more houses through the trees. The road was still empty save for them. A large blue sign announced "Maften town limits."

"Do you have an address?" Damon asked, eyes on the rearview mirror.

"No," Mike said. "Downtown's fine."

From the looks of the lessening distance between houses, they were in the town already. Caroline couldn't see any movement or people. They'd begun passing stores, a boutique with mannequins wearing yellow and blue sundresses, an antique shop, displaying a bureau with a Victorian lamp on top. The interiors of both were darkened as if they were closed.

The same was true about the various restaurants they passed, and a deli. They drove on until a park lay ahead, the grass overgrown, a couple of benches lined up.

"This seems good enough," Damon muttered, parking on the side.

"Is this…what you expected?" Caroline looked back at Mike. "It's kind of…"

Mike was looking around, as if searching for something. "Empty," he finished for her.

The town wasn't as rundown at the rest stops they'd passed the day before or like what she'd imagined when Mike had mentioned Edmondville. It looked sleepy, as if it were a lazy Sunday morning and the sun wasn't yet high in the sky.

"Could have happened gradually," Damon said. "Couple of families go west one year. Several go north the next."

They got out of the car and Caroline could see the marina, and the blue of the water past it, glittering in the sun.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about police here. What will you guys do?"

Mike's mouth was a firm line. "There's got to be someone left. If not, we'll manage."

"Come with us," Caroline said.

Mike shook his head.

"You'd rather stay here," she said skeptically. "With vampires?"

Mike shrugged. To her skeptical expression, he said, "I don't know the people at Siloh. Don't know if they have enough food or water. Or for how long. Not worth the risk. Better take our chances here." He smiled sadly. "Thanks though. I hope you find your friends."

"Here," Damon handed the man back his stake.

Mike looked up at him, surprised. "Thanks."

As he and Jeff walked away Caroline whispered, "You can't just let walk away."

"He's kept them alive until now," Damon replied, beginning to walk towards the marina. "They'll be fine. I'd be more worried about my own lack of self-preservation if I were you."

A thought occurred to her. "Hey! Wait!" Caroline called out, ignoring Damon's baffled expression. She went to the car, withdrew the gun from the glove compartment, and ran towards Mike and Jeff.

"Here." She pushed the gun into Mike's hand. "It's got only four bullets, but they're wood. Enough to slow a vampire down enough to stake."

He opened the barrel to examine it, then looked back up to her. "You don't have to—"

"Didn't really help me out yesterday, you know?" She gave him a tight smile. "Hopefully you won't need it."

"I'm going to get sick of thanking you," he said gruffly.

"Good luck," she replied, watching as he put it in the waist of his pants.

"That was an exceedingly stupid thing you just did," Damon promptly informed her, once she'd caught up to him.

She ignored him. "So what now?"

"We wait." He gestured to the marina. "Unless you thought of swimming there. It is an island you know."

She made a face. They were almost there when they heard a car. Caroline looked back to see a navy blue SUV drive up to the narrow path that led to the marina. She looked at Damon's face, catching a flash of worry there.

It stopped in front of them. The car door opened and an immaculately attired dark-haired woman stepped out.

"Damon Salvatore," she said with a fond smile.

The scene from Charleston flashed in Caroline's mind and she took a step back, a chill running down her spine.

"Isobel," Damon greeted her.

"Did you really think you could disappear?"

"You give speeding tickets now?"

"Charming, as usual. When I got the call that you were here, I was so happy I was in the neighborhood."

"Interesting. I thought all of this was abandoned."

"Oh, we've started revitalizing some of the coast towns. It'd be too much of a waste to lose all this history. Living in the city does get a bit tiresome after a while."

"I take the interesting back. I don't really care. Can you just give me a speeding ticket and go on your merry way?"

"We've been looking on you for a while. Believe me Damon, speeding is the least of your worries."

"I'm flattered. I thought Katherine wasn't interested."

"Oh, she's not," Isobel replied flippantly. "But Pearl's not too happy with you these days. You know how she is about order." She turned serious. "They sent Noah to Mystic Falls for a reason."

"To bang cheerleaders?"

"Anna liked him; he was loyal."

"He was a meathead. You really need to do something about your baby vampires. They're all so…" He wrinkled his nose. "Bratty."

"I'll be sure to take your criticism back to Pearl."

"I'm a little surprised though. You? Katherine's favorite little henchman? No, wait, it'd be henchwoman, right? Anyway I was thinking Fred, maybe, or Harper, though he's such a softie. But you? You're the big leagues. Are you _sure_ Katherine doesn't care?"

She smiled thinly and her eyes fell on Caroline. "Is that…?" She raised her eyebrows. "Maybe Noah wasn't the only one banging cheerleaders."

His eyes flickered over Caroline and he turned deathly serious. "She's my property. Your shadow council whatever said that any vampire has a right to defend his property."

"Within reason," she corrected. "And this one has links to Elena's little gang. Don't think the hair is fooling anyone" Isobel chuckled, delighted. "All right, I'll tell you what, Damon. You let me have the girl and instead of staking you, I'll tell Pearl you turned tail and ran away."

"Let me think—no."

She caught his furtive glance at the marina. "I knew it. All these years being on your own." Isobel shook her head. "Look at you—eager to grovel before humans." Her lip curled in a sneer. Pathetic."

Damon moved faster than her eye could capture, but Isobel avoided the stake. Caroline turned and ran, letting out a shrill scream, but didn't manage to get very far before bring thrown to the ground. The fall knocked the wind out of her and Isobel pulled her up by her hair.

"I'll snap her neck," she hissed as she dragged her towards Damon.

Caroline yelped, she could see Damon by a tree, the stake protruding out from his midsection and her heart sank as Isobel dragged her out. But as she approached, she saw him struggle furiously, trying to pull it out.

"No marks," Isobel said to Damon, once she'd brought her close enough. "I admire your restraint."

He continued trying to remove the stake. "Neck is not—"

"Bullshit. No vampire leaves a human unmarked. Either you want other vampires to notice her or you're not feeding on her. And if you're not feeding on her, chances are she's pumped full of vervain."

Caroline's heart sank further.

Isobel smiled at him. "Quite a plan you have here. Do you really think that this will be enough for your brother to forgive you?"

And just like that, she plunged her fist through Caroline's stomach.

Caroline hadn't seen her move, didn't even feel pain right then and there just the impact. She looked down and saw Isobel's hand stained deep red, blood dripping down her forearm.

"He'll never forgive you, you know," Isobel was saying to him.

Caroline blinked slowly and looked down to her torn shirt, the blood seeping out. A burn spread through her side. Caroline brought a hand to the wound in disbelief. She blinked again, the edges of her vision growing fuzzy.

Damon was still furiously trying to dislodge the stake. His mouth moved quickly as if he were yelling something, expression wide-eyed and more stricken that she'd ever seen him, but she couldn't hear anything over her own breathing. She fell back, the large expanse of blue sky all she could see. The clouds looked while and fluffy and she thought, _I'm going to die. _

She heard firecrackers in the distance before it all went black.

Caroline woke up because she was choking. On water, except it wasn't water, it tasted metallic and thick in her mouth.

"That's it. That's it."

She tried to cough, but someone's arm was against her mouth and she felt the liquid dribble down her chin, but there was more and there was no recourse except to keep swallowing.

Blood! She jerked back, gagging, whoever was holding her let her go and coughed.

"Will she be okay?" Caroline looked up to see Mike, who sported a wide gash on his temple, blood dripping down his cheek.

"Your head," she managed to croak.

"Don't worry about it."

"Looks okay," Damon told him, before turning back to Caroline. "How are you feeling?"

Caroline brought a hand up to wipe her mouth. "What happened? Is she gone?"

"I heard you screaming," Mike explained.

"Where's Jeff?"

"Back there, I left him behind a pharmacy a block down. He knows how to lay low."

Caroline looked down at her blood-soaked shirt, she brought a hand to the wound gingerly.

"It's fine," Damon told her.

Not quite believing him, she lifted it up, so see the skin looking tender but otherwise okay. "I thought wooden bullets don't do anything to vampires."

"They don't." Damon stretched a hand out, helping her up. "But the distraction bought me some time."

Mike chuckled darkly. "She didn't see it coming. Barely managed to get to the car."

"Yeah, well, I was sloppy," Damon said sharply. "She should have been dead."

"She got away?" Caroline looked around them, but saw no sign of the SUV. Just broken glass and blood. Lots of it.

Caroline looked back down at her shirt. "I'm not…a vampire now, am I?"

"No," Mike replied. "You need a lot more than that."

She looked at him quizzically.

"My wife was turned."

"Oh," Caroline bit her lip. "I'm sorry. Mike—you're hurt."

"S'all right. Just had a close encounter with the windshield thanks to that vamp. "

Damon cleared his throat. "We still have the boat. The guy's _associate_ took off as soon as he saw Isobel get frisky. You'd think he'd never seen someone get impaled before."

"About that the boat," Mike began. "I was wondering—"

"Did you change your mind?" Caroline smiled.

Mike snorted. "You could say that. Damon says this Isobel holds grudges."

Damon shook his head. "You have no idea. Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: My sincere thanks go out to all of you who have taken the time to give me feedback.

**Chapter 6**

Caroline had to speak up over the sound of the speedboat's motor. "I didn't know you could work a speedboat."

"You learn a couple of things in over a hundred years." Damon smirked at her narrowing eyes. "If you must know… The bridge was fairly new to begin with. Before the fifties people got there by ferry. Siloh can't be more than half an hour away."

"How do you know of this place anyway?"

"Salvatore vacation spot."

Caroline inhaled the smell of salt and seaweed, the breeze blowing loose tendrils of her hair back. A little voice nagged her that she'd have a mean sunburn tomorrow.

"Damon, what was Isobel talking about when she mentioned your brother?"

"You're so nosy."

"Should have known that before you made me _your property_," she mimicked.

"I should have."

"But you didn't, so."

She thought for sure he'd blow her off, make some dismissive remark, but when he spoke it was in a tight voice. "My brother and I, we don't really see eye to eye on a lot."

Caroline let the words hang for a bit. "So you'd need a reason to come back. Other than patching things up…I really am your plan for redemption."

Damon shrugged. "Stefan sometimes needs a little persuasion to see another point of view."

"Stefan?" she echoed blinking. Elena's boyfriend in her dream.

"What?"

"I remember him…at prom, with Elena. I…dreamed about it last night" Then another image, surface in her memory. She furrowed her brows. "Why did you have a picture of Elena in period wear? Was it your brother's?"

"Huh?"

"At the boarding house—the album. That was Elena."

Damon was shaking his head.

"No," she insisted. "I'm sure it was. It looked just like her."

"You have it wrong. That's Katherine."

"Katherine." The name felt familiar. Isobel had talked about a Katherine. "But they can't be the same person-"

"Of course not, Katherine's dead." He shrugged. "Undead. Whatever." Caroline was still looking confused and Damon sighed, as if bored. "In any given situation, Elena will probably be the one _not_ tearing people's throats out and laughing hysterically."

The thought was not at all comforting. "Hey, Damon."

"Mm?"

"I shouldn't even do this because you're really a bastard, and I know that you don't do anything to be nice, or kind, and getting a straight answer from you is like, impossible, although it's your fault I don't know what's going on, and you're also cocky and irritating—"

"There _is_ something positive in there somewhere, right?"

She sucked in a breath. "Yes."

"Just checking. Go on."

"What I meant to say…is…thank you. For saving my life. I guess."

With that, she turned away heading to where Mike and his son sat. The gash on Mike's head didn't look any better.

He caught her looking at it. "I've had worse."

"I'm just thinking that they have to have supplies or even a doctor around."

"Even if they don't, it'll be fine." The way he said it dissuaded her from asking more and she turned to Jeff.

She felt a little awkward asking, "How are you doing?"

"Did it hurt?" he blurted out.

She followed his eyes to her midriff, noting that her shirt was a bloodstained mess. "Not a whole lot. It's okay now." She lifted the shirt up slightly to show that there was no trace of the wound. "Good as new. And I'm not a vampire either," she added.

"I know," he said.

"How?"

He shrugged. "The sun. Vampires can't be in the sun."

"That's true."

"How come he can?"

Caroline sat next to him. "He has a special ring."

"I've never seen them before," Mike said. "I figured there was something that let some of them walk around during the day. Just didn't know what it was. The vamp—the one back there—she had it too." He paused. "Did you know her?"

Caroline shook her head. "No. I mean. I have vague images of her. But it's part of the holes in my memory. I'm not sure I even want those filled now. It's not…good."

Mike cocked his head. "How long has it been for you?"

"Compelling? Five years."

Mike whistled. "That's a long time. Longest I've heard of that mind control thing." He lowered his voice. "How can you stand it?"

Caroline smiled weakly. "You can't miss what you don't remember having."

A large landmass became visible in the horizon after what seemed like some endless stretch of time later to Caroline in her antsiness. She could see maybe three or four lined up by a pier several yards from them, but no movement. In the distance the coastline curved into a smooth beach with broken tree branches scattered about. Further still lay a dense cluster of trees, barring the rest of the view into the island.

Damon looked around. "I was expecting some sort of welcome party. I have to admit, this is a little…anticlimactic."

"There's boats. Someone is obviously here." Caroline squinted in the early afternoon sun.

Damon got them close to the pier and shut the engine off. Around them, it was quiet save for the swishing of the tide and the occasional cries of seagulls. Damon got out first, tied up the small boat. He surveyed the area for a moment before helping them out in turn.

The ground was a bit uneven and Caroline lost her footing almost falling had it not been for Damon's hand at her elbow.

"It would make sense that they be further in, wouldn't it?" she asked softly as they left the narrow pier, walking onto a narrow unpaved road that led into the trees that backed the beach.

"It does," Damon conceded after several moments of silence. It was cooler within the maritime forest, the trees forming a tight curving canopy overhead that kept the worst of the sun out. Even so, their walk had Caroline sweating. They were still following the dirt road and Caroline stopped by a sign covered in vines a couple of feet beside the path. She pushed the vines aside. 'Doe Point Trail A' she managed to read, before rejoining Damon and Mike.

"What if they left?" Mike was asking.

Caroline stopped. "What if they're gone?"

Damon didn't slow down. "They're here." He flashed them an annoyed look. "You're all such pessimists."

"How do you even—" Caroline pushed when suddenly Damon pulled her forward roughly and she tripped, landing on her hands and knees, sand spraying out.

"Mike, stop!" she called out, panicked at the arrow she saw half buried in Damon's neck.

Damon had snapped the arrow, and was quickly back on his feet. To Caroline's horror, he tottered down and coughing.

"It's laced with vervain." A solidly built guy emerged from the foliage to their left. He raised what looked like a crossbow and aimed it towards Damon.

Mike cocked the small pistol. "Drop it." It had no bullets, Caroline thought.

"You don't want to do that," the guy said calmly. "We're not the enemy."

"He's not the enemy either," she snapped. "Drop it."

The guy put the crossbow down slowly and she'd almost breathed a sigh of relief …until she felt someone grab her.

"No one's going to hurt you," the person –a woman- told her. Caroline whirled, catching sight of her heart-shaped face, strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a short braid. She seemed a couple of years older with an athletic build. "Take it easy." Caroline struggled, but she was no match for her.

The man she'd seen continued towards Damon crossbow now pointed back at him. Behind her, she could hear others holding Mike and Jeff. A shot went off, but Caroline knew it was useless.

The woman lifted a walkie talkie, grip on Caroline still steely. "One vampire. Three humans."

"How'd you even know—" Caroline began.

"We heard a shot!" a familiar voice called, almost out of breath, crossbow in hand.

_Bonnie?_

"It happened when Rivera knocked the gun from her hands," the woman replied. "Can I let you go now?" The woman asked Caroline.

She couldn't hold her curiosity back. "Bonnie?"

Her friend's eyes fell on her for the first time since she'd appeared. Caroline took in her build, the shock in her face. "It's you."

Bonnie approached, hesitantly at first, then with quick steps until she threw her arms around Caroline in a tight hug. She pulled away and her eyes widened at Caroline's blood-stained clothes.

"Are you hurt?-"

Caroline grasped her friend-_best friend's_ –hand. "I'm okay, now. Damon—"

"Bonnie?" The woman at their side called, uncertain.

Bonnie pulled away. "Relax, Maddie, she's a friend." She turned to address two men and one woman who were by Mike and Jeff. "They're survivors."

"What do we do with the vampire?" The man called out. "He's got a ring like Stefan's. Do I take it?"

"No!" Caroline screamed. "We got attacked. He saved my life. You'll kill him if you take it!" Caroline saw Bonnie flinch. Her friend stood and went over to where Damon lay flanked by the man. Caroline followed.

"You're not welcome here," Bonnie told Damon, voice gone utterly cold.

Damon looked up at her with a smile hand still on the part of the arrow that still protruded from his neck. "Really?" he croaked. "After all I've done for you. Or haven't done."

Caroline saw Bonnie's hands clench on her crossbow. "You're lucky it wasn't Elena who caught you."

"Elena? Doesn't she miss me-I bring all the witty banter."

"Elena isn't really into witty banter these days Damon," she looked towards the woman. "Maddie, have Eddie help you get him back in the boat."

"What, no 'please stay for dinner?' I would think some gratitude—"

A snap and whoosh later, Damon bit off strangled cry and Caroline saw Damon's hand grasp the piece of wood protruding from his side. She gasped, horrified. She hadn't even seen Bonnie's hand move.

"The next one goes in your heart. We don't put a lot of stock in gratitude towards vampires. Especially not you." Her friend looked deathly serious as she turned to her. "I don't know what he's told you. But he's not your friend."

"But he's Stefan—"

"It's complicated."

"I don't understand."

Bonnie's face softened slightly. "You don't have to."

"He saved my life-"

"What's going on?" another voice interrupted and Caroline turned. "Perimeter says there's been a shot. Everyone ok?"

"Matt!" His name fell from Caroline's lips as he came into view.

He looked at her, disbelieving, then his eyes fell on Damon. "Is that-" He turned to Bonnie.

"Yeah."

"Oh my god—Caroline. Are you-" He turned to Bonnie, a pained look on his face. "Is she-"

"She's human," Bonnie told them. "Go take her inside, I'll deal with him."

"No!" Caroline ran towards him, placing herself in front of Damon. He was breathing shallowly, a pained expression still on his face.

"Caroline," Matt called.

"You don't understand-"

"You can't trust him, Caroline," Bonnie said slowly. "He's done this to you before. He's done this to all of us before. He's using you. He's been using you since the beginning."

"Has it..." Damon spoke up with difficulty. "Occurred to you...I could help—"

"He's lying," Bonnie said through gritted teeth.

"Katherine…" Damon added, faintly.

"You can't kill him!" Caroline spread her arms.

Bonnie turned to Matt, as if Caroline weren't there. "Matt, she's obviously been compelled—I can feel the haze. I'm going to-" She reached forward. Caroline pushed her hand away.

"I'm not being compelled."

"We have to tell the council-" Matt said deliberately.

"It's Damon!" she hissed.

"Exactly! We can't make the decision by ourselves."

Bonnie glared at him for a second.

"Bonnie, look...why don't you take Caroline in. Me and Eddie will take him to Moss Field. How long ago has he fed, Caroline?"

"I don't know. Don't kill him."

"I'm not," Matt assured her.

She looked at both of them. "What's happened to you?"

Bonnie and Matt looked at each other.

"Come on," Bonnie said to Caroline. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"We're set?" Maddie asked her. Bonnie nodded.

"Okay," she raised her voice to address the group. "We're done here. Rivera, you're with Matt. Shaw and Kay do a routine check on the boat. Barfield, you're with me. We're going to take a nice walk on the beach."

Caroline heard a couple of whistles behind her.

"Does it include dinner?" one of the men called out.

"Of course not," Maddie barked. "Barfield is not that kind of girl. Daylight's burning you idiots, let's go." The group went down the path towards the beach. Caroline saw Matt move towards Damon and the man with a crossbow.

Bonnie turned to Caroline and pulled her away from them. She gestured to Mike and Jeff. "They're with you?"

Caroline nodded. "Yeah. You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Mike answered.

"How's your head?" she asked.

"I'm still standing."

"He got hit pretty bad, Bonnie," she turned to her. "I think he may have a concussion or something."

"I can check him once we get to the cabins." She gestured to a golf cart a few feet away. "Let's just get there."

"I don't know—isn't there a doctor—"

"I'm sure it's not necessary," Mike said lightly as they reached the golf cart, Caroline saw another one maybe a yard away, probably Matt's. "I played football in high school, I've gotten concussions before. It's no big deal. Don't worry." He turned to Bonnie. "I'm Mike by the way."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Caroline turned to the kid beside her. "I should have introduced you. And this is Jeff, his son. Mike, Jeff, this is my friend Bonnie."

Mike chuckled. "All things considered, that's not too big an offense. Nice to meet you, Bonnie." He shook her hand.

"Likewise," Bonnie replied. "It's not super luxurious here, but there's no vampires and we have all the basics. We're better off than most," she said as she climbed in.

Caroline took the seat next to hers. "So this is where you guys have been for the last five years."

"Pretty much," Bonnie said, starting the engine. "Stefan brought us here. We lucked out with the resort."

Caroline was a bit confused. She could see that Bonnie wanted to say more, but her eyes kept flickering to the passengers in the back.

"How do you get the food?" Mike asked before she could formulate her own question.

"Here, some of the people have plots and there's fish in the streams and wildlife. We lucked out. For the rest we need we send people mainland about once a month."

The raids in the news, Caroline thought. "And vampires don't attack?"

"There's always someone watching perimeter." Caroline noted Bonnie didn't quite answer the question. "We thought you were gone." She turned her head slightly towards Caroline.

"It's a long story." Caroline read the unasked question but didn't want to go into detail in front of Mike and Jeff.

"We're here."

The building they'd parked in front of was a sprawling antebellum mansion in disarray, its white paint gone gray and peeling in parts, the vines and branches of the surrounding trees crawling haphazardly on it. It seemed as if only its enormous size kept it from being engulfed by the surrounding vegetation. The sound of the waves seemed more muted here, the quiet only marred by the chirps of birds overhead and the motor of the golf cart.

"Siloh used to be a resort destination," Bonnie added by way of explanation. "All the lodging around the southwest of the island belonged to one company. Stefan thinks the façade is all show." To Caroline's quizzical look she said, "He thinks the whole thing was built maybe in the 90s."

"Was there anyone living here?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Not when we got here." She led them up the front steps and into the building. Her voice echoed in the mostly empty reception hall. "These are closest living quarters to the beach. They're a bit too close to the perimeter, so we don't encourage anyone to stay here other than teams who might have people alternate during watches."

She turned to Mike. "I need to go back out there and help them make sure things are quiet, but first let me take a look at your head."

He waved a hand. "I'm feeling much better, really."

Caroline looked at him, concerned. "You should at least let her take a look."

Bonnie murmured something under her breath that Caroline couldn't make out and extended a hand towards Mike's forehead. The gash disappeared. He gasped.

"How is it?" she said after dropping her hand.

"What did you do?"

"Healing spell. Not the most elegant one." Bonnie grimaced. "But it should do the trick for now."

"A spell?" Mike's eyes widened.

"I'm a witch."

"I didn't know you could..do that." Caroline's couldn't keep the awe from her voice.

"I had to pick it up. I'm no miracle worker, but if I'm well rested and okay, I can take the bite out of most wounds."

"Wow."

Bonnie smiled for the first time since she'd met up with them. "I have to go now, but I'll be back in a bit with clothes and stuff. You guys should relax. None of the rooms are locked. The ones on the first floor should be in better shape than the others. Just get some rest – I'll also let Elena know you're here, she's gonna flip." She gave them one parting smile and walked out of the lobby.

The place was even more silent once she left and Caroline looked at Mike nervously.

"Hotels are kind of creepy when they're empty. Can't help, but think of The Shining," he said lightly.

"I know," Caroline said softly. "How do you feel?"

"Much better," he replied, beginning to walk towards through the doors. "I still can't believe your friend's a witch. But since vampires exist..." he chuckled. "Why not?"

"What else can she do?" Jeff spoke up.

"I don't know," Caroline answered. "Pretty cool she can heal people though."

They'd arrived at the rooms and Mike looked at her. "You're going to be all right alone?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I'll be fine. I feel like I could sleep for a week."

"Well, if you want some company you can knock on our door."

"Thanks," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Once in the room, she took out the stake Damon had given her and placed it on the table. There was no need for that anymore. But just as soon as she put it there she grabbed it again and went to sit on the bed.

The room was bigger than she expected and had a slight musty smell. There was one window at the far end through which some light streamed in, but the view was towards another part of the complex and the tangle of tree limbs that all but wrapped themselves around the building. Inside, the silence was eerie.

Impulsively, she looked through the drawers on the bedside table. On top of a worn Gideon's Bible, there was a faded brochure. The words 'Merian Hotels' were written on it above a picture of a smiling couple walking on along a beach. Caroline opened the brochure to a map labeled, 'Siloh Island Club and Resort'. The island on the map was divided into four sections. Caroline's eyes combed over 'Doe's Point' to the southwest, 'Boar's Point' to the northwest, 'Snake Head' to the southeast and 'Horse Head' to the southwest.

Landmarks were scattered throughout in the form of small red stars, the largest cluster found around Doe's Point which had a small picture of a hotel, she recognized as a less rundown version of the one they were in. Not further from it was an area labeled 'Pine Breeze Villas'. A golf course snaked behind it, curling towards, but not quite reaching the beach. Closer to the northwest coast, there was an image of a picturesque lighthouse. The other landmarks included several churches and trails and an area labeled 'Palmetto Sun Executive Villas'.

Caroline closed the brochure. She was sure that Damon had mentioned the Salvatores having some land here. There did seem to be remains of two plantations on the eastern side of the island, but there were no pictures of them, just red stars with the names Berry Ridge and Pinewood. Which had been theirs? She filed it away to ask Bonnie later and put the brochure back in the drawer.

That's just how it is, Caroline told herself.

She'd known, even compelled out of her mind, she'd known even if only hazily. Vampires controlling everything, everyone. Her friends living like survivors in a decrepit island. Her family gone. She could make the outline of a blonde woman's face, disapproving. _Mom_. It hit her with a pang.

Caroline remembered Bonnie reaching towards her, saying she'd been compelled. Could she bring back her memories? Caroline brought a hand to her forehead, going through the little she'd recalled, images faint like gossamer threads. She remembered Elena's blue dress at prom. Blue was her favorite, she'd worn it the color twice, though Caroline couldn't pinpoint when had been her first time. She remembered Bonnie picking out a yellow dress the day before prom. She remembered dancing with Matt, the smell of his cologne as she pressed her cheek against his chest.

She lay down on the bed, the stake beside her within easy reach.

Matt hadn't gone to her. Just looked at her in horror and asked Bonnie what she was. Caroline closed her eyes. Had she been turned, would they have staked her?

It made sense, she told herself. Caroline thought about the two vampires she'd encountered in her trip. She looked down at her torn, bloodied shirt. Her friends had wanted to kill Damon. Maybe they'd thought he did it. Caroline shuddered, reminded of sharp fangs and contorted faces. She wasn't sure she could blame them.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for staying with me, guys. I just moved to another country, so continuing has been challenging, but I'm still at it!

**Chapter 7**

_Isobel looked at her hungrily and Caroline didn't know what to do. _

"_She looks delicious," Isobel was saying._

"_Doesn't she?" Damon replied._

"_You're sure I can't have a taste?"_

"_I don't really like sharing. It's so…unhygienic"_

_She gave him a skeptical look._

"_You were saying… about Katherine?"_

"_I'm sorry, Damon, but you can't be part of the six. There's too much bad blood," she smiled. "No pun intended."_

"_It was more than a hundred years ago!" he protested._

"_She did mention one thing. If you were to surrender your ring, you could join…on a trial basis."_

_Damon laughed. "And wouldn't her pals love that. No, thanks."_

"_Then just take it as what it is, Damon. You're a daywalker without any of the nonsense."_

"_Without any of the power."_

"_You have enough power. Look around you. It's a vampire's world."_

"_And I still can't talk to her?"_

_Isobel shook her head. "Katherine is very busy."_

_A waiter emerged and offered champagne to Isobel, who reached for the glass delicately. He offered it to Damon, then Caroline. She caught sight of something under the tray. The next was too fast to catch. The tray fell, the waiter advance on Isobel with a roar, stake in hand._

_She moved much faster than he, wresting the stake from his hand, plunging into his chest. Blood seeped out, staining his shirt a deep red. Caroline stood, unable to move, unable to look away as he died, blood pooling on the floor everywhere, his shirt -_

Caroline woke up with a start, breath coming in harsh pants, clothing soaked in sweat and immediately reached for the stake beside her.

She sat there for several minutes catching her breath, hands on the wooden pike. Trying to exorcise the blood from her mind.

She looked at the alarm clock next to the bed. She'd been asleep for a little over half an hour.

Caroline wondered if Bonnie was out there waiting for them. Her stomach grumbled and she realized that in all the excitement they'd skipped lunch and her stomach was about to inflict punishment for it.

She took the stake with her, more for her own sake than any danger and left the room, careful not to let the door slam.

Once back out to the lobby she spied Mike's form as he looked through the big glass windows, his back to her.

"Did you just wake up?" he asked, surprising her. She hadn't thought he could have heard her.

Caroline nodded. "I don't think I'll have much luck sleeping from now. Might as well wake up."

He turned and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah."

"Jeff woke me up about half an hour ago, screaming at the top of his lungs. I'm surprised you didn't hear him."

"I'm not." She shook her head. "Before I knew it I was gone. How is he?"

Mike shrugged. "About as well as anybody would hope. He drifted off a bit after, could barely stay awake, but night terrors. They're getting worse."

"I hope Bonnie comes back soon." Caroline finished the sentence with a yawn. "I'm so hungry."

"You're not the only one," he said, chuckling. "Seems like someone before us raided the minibar."

"It'd be too good to be true otherwise. How's your head?"

"Okay. Better than okay. Your friend's a miracle worker. I haven't had a headache since."

The whirr of an engine drew their attention and they approached the entrance to see Matt get out of the car. He reached for a box before walking towards them.

Watching him walk into the lobby, Caroline felt strangely tongue-tied. Now that she wasn't trying to save Damon, she had opportunity to think through the memory of him. His hair was shorter than it'd been in her memories, features slightly more angular, skin tanner than she remembered.

"Hey," he greeted them. His eyes flickered over her face, searching for a second before his expression turned guarded. He gave a nod to Mike and placed the box on the table. "I got some towels for you, some clothes, which might fit. I also brought some food in case you guys were hungry. There's a microwave downstairs in the kitchen."

Caroline smiled weakly, still feeling off base.

"Let me get on it then," Matt said, opening the box and taking hold of a box of hotpockets. "It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes." He grinned.

Say something. Say something. "Bonnie and Elena?" she blurted out, then almost kicked herself.

"Bonnie's bringing her in a few," Matt replied, turning to go down the stairs.

Caroline closed her eyes, feeling like an idiot.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked.

"Yeah." She faked a bright smile. "I mean, hungry, but I'm fine."

"Good. I'll get Jeff. He'll be starving."

Caroline watched him as he ducked into the hallway and sat down on one of the chairs. This was _Matt_, they'd been _together_ and she could barely look at him, much less find something of substance to say.

She continued beating herself up for it until she heard another vehicle park outside. She walked out, catching sight of Bonnie. Now that the intensity of the past hours had died down, she took note of the changes in Bonnie too. Her friend looked a little taller, her hair was tied back in a short ponytail. She wore a t-shirt and jeans that looked like they'd seen better days.

Another girl got out of the cart next to her, but paused to tell Bonnie something. She was the taller of the two, hair cropped in a pixie cut, decked in sweats and a tank top.

It was only when they approached that Caroline realized that the second was Elena and she blinked, the visual departing the sharply from what she remembered. Elena in a blue dress.

When they neared, the first thing that tumbled out of her mouth was "Elena, your hair!"

Elena threw her head back and laughed, then rushed to her wrapping her arms around Caroline in a hug as tight as the one Bonnie had given her the night before.

"Yours!" Elena exclaimed. "You're a redhead!" She pulled away to look at her.

"It looks good on you," Bonnie added.

"I think so too. It's just a surprise." Elena smiled.

"I still have hair though." Caroline lifted her hand to Elena's hair. She wrinkled her nose. "And you're sweaty and have, like, Madonna arms." She gave her an envious look.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Elena's day hasn't begun if she doesn't get her morning routine done. And it doesn't continue until she's done afternoon training or her night routine." She smiled wickedly. "She's put on pounds though."

"Shut up, you know it's all muscle. If it were up to you the day would begin at two p.m."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "Witches love the night. Witching hour and all that."

"Witches," Elena corrected. "Love to oversleep."

Bonnie turned away from her in a feigned huff. "We sent Matt ahead with stuff."

Caroline nodded. "He's downstairs microwaving some hotpockets."

Bonnie grinned. "Aren't you guys lucky. I haven't had a hotpocket in ages. They're gourmet food around here. How is Mike's head doing?"

"He's waking Jeff up. Said he was fine."

Just then Mike returned, a sleepy Jeff behind him.

"Speak of the devil," Caroline added.

"I'm hungry," Jeff announced.

Mike looked apologetic. "Called it."

Bonnie took one look at him and didn't miss a beat, "Why don't we skip the introductions and I'll take them downstairs and see if Matt needs help. I'll catch up with you guys later," she looked over at Elena and Caroline.

Caroline nodded and Bonnie impulsively hugged her again. "I'm so happy you're with us."

Caroline bit her lip. Bonnie let her go and gestured to Mike and Jeff.

"How are you?" Elena asked.

"Okay." Caroline tried to keep her smile steady. "Mike took the worst of it."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then?"

"Damon," Elena said. "Bonnie felt you were compelled."

She felt uncomfortable under the look Elena was giving her. "I mean, I was, for a while, but not anymore. I've been taking vervain."

Elena nodded. "Good. That's kind of part of the diet here. Everyone takes it. I wonder why Bonnie sensed the haze though."

"The haze?"

"Bonnie calls it that. It's how compelling works- partitions your mind. Bonnie taught herself how to sense it."

Caroline hesitated. "Well, he said…he blocked my memories. I haven't gotten it all back yet, so…"

"He blocked your memories." Elena's lips tightened. "You mean he erased them."

"No!" she shook her head forcefully. "I still have them. They're coming back. Really slowly—"

"Caroline, vampires don't block their victim's memories when they mess with their heads. They erase them. Usually so they can keep them for the rest of their lives."

"Damon didn't do that."

"Caroline—"

"Believe me, Elena, he didn't." She leaned forward, words coming in a rush. "I'm remembering. I just dreamed about prom—your blue dress—I'll get the rest back eventually."

"This should have never happened," Elena said sharply. "I'm so sorry," her voice softened. "We should have gone back for you."

Caroline closed her eyes. "You couldn't have known." She summoned a small smile. "How are Jenna and Jeremy anyway?"

A second after she'd asked Caroline knew she'd made a mistake. Elena's face went completely blank. "They didn't make it."

"Elena, I'm-"

She shook her head. "It's been a while now and everyone's lost people they care about. What's important is that you're okay and you're with us. Now we just got to get you trained."

"Trained?"

"Like how to use that. You're kind of holding it the wrong way."

Caroline hadn't realized she was still carrying around the stake and forced a laugh and she turned it over.

"No, really. Anyone wanting to survive needs to learn the basics of self defense," Elena said. "It gives you a fighting chance."

"It's like being in the army or something." Caroline snorted. "Like this is war."

Elena looked unamused. "Exactly."

Caroline frowned. "Elena…about Damon."

Her friend lifted a hand to ward her off. "I don't want to hear it. We just can't afford it."

"He saved my life."

"Probably as part of a scheme to get you here—"

"Look, I know he's shady—"

"That's the problem."

"I know that. It's just—"

"He compelled you for years." Elena flashed her a dark look. "Why are you defending him? Aren't you angry?"

"I am, but not enough to be ok with murdering someone who _saved my life._ More than once, Elena!"

"Don't you see, Caroline? You were his ticket in. No one would have given a thought to staking him if it hadn't been for you." Her expression hardened. "Don't doubt for a second that everything you did played right into his plan. He compelled you right in front of us when he first got to Mystic Falls— made you think he was your boyfriend and then he went and did it again, didn't he?"

Caroline felt as if she'd been slapped.

"You didn't remember." Elena made it into a statement. "You can't trust him. We can't trust him," she continued. "And if we can't trust him, the best thing he can be is dead."

"I can't..." Caroline looked at her in disbelief, trying to sort through her thoughts. "This isn't right."

"Damon made his choice a long time ago."

"You guys coming?" Bonnie interrupted from the bottom of the stairs.

Caroline looked at Elena. "Let's talk about this later. Please."

But Elena's expression didn't soften. "There's nothing to talk about."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Caroline followed Bonnie and Elena downstairs in silence, still reeling from Elena's words.

The bright voices of Jeff and Matt were somewhat cheering. The former was narrating their escapades at breakneck speed—it seemed he'd really taken to Matt. He paused once he noticed the stake Caroline had placed on her lap. Then he'd asked to look at it and continued.

Caroline barely heard him as Matt passed her the warm hotpocket. "Five years, huh. Not a bad set up."

Matt nodded. "It was rough at first getting used to things. There were like fifteen of us when we first got here and the place, what was left of it, was falling apart."

"We got lucky," Elena added. "The vampires were just getting organized. They were in Mystic Falls still when we got here."

"So you waited before getting rid of the bridge?" Mike asked.

"So much for being inconspicuous." Bonnie frowned.

"It was worth it." Elena's tone brokered no argument. "Besides, there are so many barrier islands, that there's no way for them to really track us."

"The perimeter came later," Matt took over. "And that was luck that some soldiers from Fort Jackson found us. The only reason we're here is because of them. We sent out some people with them and raided their supplies. One of the best ideas we've had."

"I don't understand." Caroline interrupted. "Damon's said some powerful vampire got loose—"

"Is that all he told you?" Elena cut in, face darkening.

"Y-yeah," Caroline answered, flustered by her expression.

"He wouldn't have told you by any chance that _he_ did it. That _he_ set the vampires loose."

Caroline blinked. "What?"

A thick silence fell over the group.

Bonnie, Caroline noticed, was looking at her hands. When she spoke, her voice was quiet. "They were twenty-six, twenty-six very old, very angry vampires. And the end of the year party was just too tempting for them to pass up." She finally looked up, face perfectly composed, but her eyes were cloudy. "I never got to the dance. Elena and Stefan couldn't find you."

"You ran away that night?" Caroline recoiled.

"What was left of us," Matt said grimly.

"Gran," Bonnie continued evenly. "Her magic held off the vampires long enough for us to run." Her tone became matter-of-fact and she went on before Caroline could ask anything else. "Anyway, we've never been attacked on Siloh, but I think we have enough defenses. We still train everyone just in case."

Caroline bit her lip. Why would Damon let loose bloodthirsty vampires? The question looped in her head, but she could tell it pained her friends to talk about it.

"We haven't eliminated the idea of attacking them at their own turf," Elena was saying.

"But we need more information for that." Bonnie looked at her sharply. "We haven't been to the cities in years."

"Right." Elena didn't sound too convinced.

"Do you have any more of the hotpockets left?" Mike asked Matt over his wrapper.

Matt looked at the box. "Nah, man, I'm sorry."

Caroline passed Mike hers. "You can have mine. I didn't touch it. I'm not really hungry." She turned to Matt. You said there's clothing in the box."

Matt nodded and an awkward silence fell upon the group.

"I think I'm going to go up and shower," Caroline finally said.

"We'll wait for you," Elena replied. "Then we can take you to Pine Breeze and find you a place to stay."

"You should go up and shower too," Mike said to Jeff. "I'll be up after I'm done eating. I don't want to keep them waiting."

Jeff scrunched his face. "I don't want to."

Mike didn't seem interested in arguing. "Do it. And give Caroline back her stake."

Caroline flashed him a lopsided smile. "I don't think I'll need it."

Jeff put it on top of the table. "I don't really want it."

"I guess, I should get going." Caroline turned to Matt. "Thanks for the stuff."

He smiled at her, and she could see him as the high school quarterback he'd been for a moment – as she remembered him. "No problem."

She smiled back and palmed the stake, grateful enough no one commented on it.

"Caroline." Bonnie stopped her mid-stair with a hand on her shoulder. "Do yourself a favor, don't think about Damon." She sighed. "After all you've been through he's the last thing you should worry about."

She flashed her friend a smile and went up the stairs to the lobby.

Feeling sheepish, Caroline placed the stake on the reception desk. She was among friends, everything was okay. She closed her eyes and exhaled. There was no need to carry it around like a security blanket. She couldn't even _use_ a stake. She couldn't even hold one.

Caroline stopped by the box Matt had left on one of the chairs, not entirely surprised to see that they included a white shirt and sweatpants that looked a size or two too big for her. She dug around, but all the clothes remaining clothes were larger or for children.

Resigned, Caroline went back to her room, only then realizing, she'd brought no shampoo for herself. She ended up showering anyway and just re-did her ponytail trying not to give it too much thought. The shower made her realize how tired she remained. She couldn't wait to finally just _stay_ somewhere. It felt like ages since she'd had a moment of peace and she reminded herself that it had barely been a day since she'd set out from Mystic Falls.

As Caroline exited the room to meet the others, she almost ran smack into Mike near the lobby. "Hey." She gave him a cheery smile. "Any luck getting Jeff to get clean?"

Mike turned. His face looked sallow and tired. Their escapade must have finally gotten to him. She felt a wave of sympathy. Worry over Jeff must have him exhausted. "Yeah. He went ahead" He nodded slightly towards their room several yards behind them.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he said, closing his eyes. "I thought maybe some fresh air but I went outside and…" He shook his head.

"Do you think you might be sick?"

"That's the thing. I'm still hungry. It's like I haven't eaten at all."

The way he was looking at her made Caroline uncomfortable. "Ok." She turned and began walking briskly down the corridor towards the stairs that lead down to the kitchen. "Let's go talk to Bonnie, maybe she—"

"Caroline wait I'm feeling…not right."

She furrowed her brows. "Stay here- I'll go get them."

He clasped her wrist.

"Okay." Caroline tried to keep her voice level. "You have to let me go, Mike. I'll go call the others and they can help."

She pulled at her wrist, but he didn't loosen his hold and Caroline's heart began to pound hard.

"Mike—"

"I didn't want—"

"You don't have to," Caroline said, reigning in her instinct to scream. Anything could set him off. "Just let me go and we can get you help. I promise."

"I'm not a monster—"

"You're not! I could never think that. It's okay, Mike. You just have to let me go. That's all. Just let go." She slackened her arm and looked at him in vain hope.

"Okay," he whispered. "Okay."

She forced a hopeful smile. "Good."

Caroline scampered back as soon as he released her, but he followed and she was about to let out a cry. It ended up muffled as his hand clamped down roughly over her mouth. She writhed unable to get away, but making every attempt to spring free.

His teeth pierced her skin through her shoulder not her neck. The bite was hard and bruising and tears stung her eyes. Just as the pain in her shoulder reached a crescendo she was flung through the air, landing hard on the carpeted floor. Pain flowered anew over her already bruised knees. She heard Mike fall behind her, coughing, and scurried to her feet, running into Elena who'd come up from the stairs.

Elena's eyes widened at her bleeding shoulder. "Caroline wha—"

"Mike," Caroline gasped out between pants.

"Get the others!" Elena hissed at her, making to run towards him.

Caroline grabbed her arm. "You can't. He—"

"I'll be okay." Elena pulled away and ran to the corridor. "Just get the others!" She yelled behind her.

The stake! Caroline could see front desk where she'd left it. How was Elena going to defend herself without a weapon?

She dashed towards it, breathless and ran back to where Elena was standing, several feet from Mike whose features had hardened into a grotesque shape. His back was now towards Caroline, but she saw him reached for her friend.

He was quick, but not so much so that Caroline couldn't follow. Vervain. He must have been poisoned from biting her, she thought, relieved.

Elena ducked out of his grasp, turning and delivering a high kick to his neck that made him stumble back. She caught sight of Caroline and her eyes widened in alarm. Mike recovered quickly and Elena's surprise at seeing Caroline was enough to give him an opening.

"No!" Caroline cried out as he grabbed the brunette's shoulders and bit down hard on Elena's neck.

Caroline ran full speed towards him, both hands on the stake. She swung it with all her strength, feeling skin and muscle give as she buried it into his side. He let out a pained cry and Elena managed to break out of his hold. Mike doubled over, coughing profusely.

"Not there!" Elena grasped the stake. Mike let out a pained grunt as she pulled it out.

"Wait!" Caroline screamed, the reality dawning. "Ele—"

But Elena had already brought the stake down hard down through his chest. He made a choked sound, summoning the last of his strength to stand and lunge towards Elena, staggering as if drunk. Caroline watched in horror as Elena darted away a couple of steps, gathering enough impulse to whirl, delivering a sharp side kick which drove the stake further into his chest. Mike collapsed and lay motionless. Caroline felt a sinking feeling in the pit off her stomach.

"What happened?" Caroline dimly heard Bonnie rush over to Elena.

"Changeover." Elena panted, bringing a hand to her shoulder to where blood continued streaming down and let out a soft hiss, wincing.

"Is everyone okay?" Matt asked, lightly touching Caroline's arm. "Caroline?"

Much as Caroline tried, no words came. She could only stare at Elena and the gash on her shoulder, the blood as it trickled down.

_blood pooling on the floor everywhere…a sodden shirt_

"Alaric is going to throw a fit." Elena's voice sounded far away.

"Worry about him later." Caroline heard Bonnie grumble. "And stay still." Her hand covered the wound. She began chanting softly.

And yet, Mike lay on the floor the stake protruding maybe an inch or two from his chest, skin already looking gray. Caroline felt herself sway slightly, before Matt's grip stabilized her. "Caroline!" He shook her slightly.

Bonnie turned towards her. "Caroline! Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she whispered. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"We still need to take care of this," Elena continued and met Bonnie's eyes.

Bonnie sighed. She went towards Caroline and Matt moved away. Her friend spoke in calm, measured tones. "Caroline, I need you to go into the room with Jeff. Make sure he doesn't come out."

"I-I-I can't," she whispered, shaking her head.

"You have to."

She shut her eyes tightly. "No, I can't! Can't you-" Her voice cracked as her eyes slid towards Mike's body. "_Can't you see_?"

"Caroline. Look at me. Look at me." Bonnie lifted a hand to Caroline's cheek. "I know you've been through a lot. I know this seems too much. I don't want to ask this of you, but we have no connection to him. As little as he knows you, he knows you more than us."

"B-b-b-but we just met a day ago. I can't. I can't. I just can't." She didn't know when she had begun crying, but the tears were now flowing mercilessly.

"Better than a few hours ago." Bonnie said gently. Her arms encircled Caroline. "Shh," she murmured. "It'll be okay."

Much as Caroline wanted to let herself go, she knew Bonnie was right. A few yards away, Jeff was waiting. Not even aware—Caroline made herself swallow and pull away from Bonnie's embrace. She was right. She was not enough, but for now she was all Jeff had. "What are you going to do?"

"We're going to get Mike out of here."

Caroline roughly brushed the tears away. "What if Jeff asks?"

Bonnie reached for her hand and squeezed lightly. "Even if he doesn't—you have to tell him. The sooner they know the better."

Caroline shook her head.

"You can do this."

She wiped her cheeks again, looking at her friends in turn. Elena's face was eerily expressionless. Beside her, Matt met her eyes concernedly, expression mirroring the look on Bonnie's face.

"We'll be here," Bonnie assured her. "And we'll take care of you. Both of you." She drew closer drawing Caroline into another hug. "It'll be okay," she murmured. "You're with us now."

Caroline sniffed and took a shaky breath. She slowly drew away from Bonnie.

"We're going to take care of this, then we'll come back for you guys," Elena spoke up.

Caroline nodded.

"We'll talk after." Bonnie gave her hand a last squeeze.

Caroline let her hand slip from hers as she walked across the hallway towards Jeff and Mike's room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The main quarters were about a mile away, a complex of boxy looking structures of varying sizes, some with even two floors, evenly spaced from one another. Some looked almost too fancy to be called cabins. Elena had called the place 'Pine Breeze'. Villas and vacation cottages, Bonnie had said.

A large complex not too different from the building they'd just left was at the end of the path, maybe five or six blocks away. It might be the former reception area of this part of the resort. Or was it a different part of the resort? Caroline didn't know, nor did she care to ask. They passed a group of people jogging in line along the way who called out greetings. Caroline thought her friends called out a bunch of the joggers by their last names, which seemed a little odd.

A woman, seemingly in her fifties, sat on a nearby porch, reading a book, but looked up as Caroline, Jeff and Elena dismounted from Bonnie's golf cart. The woman wore a dress not unlike a muumuu. There were heavy scars from her neck down to her collarbone. Caroline reached for Jeff's hand.

Caroline hadn't known what to expect when she'd told Jeff. The running water and the closed door had left him blissfully unaware of the chaos outside. But Caroline still had expected some reaction. Crying, screaming - not him sitting down silently on the bed not moving an inch. Not even blinking. Much as she'd tried, she'd ended up shedding enough tears for both of them all the while scolding herself for being so pathetic.

"This area is called Pine Breeze," Bonnie was saying, gesturing to a aged sign. "Most of us live around here and the streets over. The units vary in size, which makes it convenient. We like to keep people in one area. "

Caroline watched as Elena walked up the porch of the closest villa to their left. The skin on her neck bore no traces. How could they do it? Mike had died. Elena had driven the stake into his heart herself and she'd been talking to Bonnie and Matt as if nothing had happened. Looking as if nothing had happened. Matt was gone by the time she came out with Jeff. She hadn't asked where he'd gone.

"This is where Edna and Peter Paceys live," Bonnie continued.

"They're out." The scarred, older woman called out.

Elena turned. "Do you know where?"

"Fishing. That was a while ago," she gestured to the late afternoon sky. "Should be back soon. Y'all want something to drink while you wait?"

"I'm okay, Magda, thanks" Elena looked towards them. "Do you guys want something to drink?"

"I need to go to the bathroom," Jeff whispered. Caroline nodded.

"Could we use your restroom?" Caroline called out to the woman.

She gestured to the door. "Go right ahead."

Jeff was still rooted to the spot, and if he weren't as quiet as he was, Caroline would fear he'd ask the woman about her scars. She gently pulled him forward. "Come on." He walked ahead almost reluctantly.

"Thank you," Caroline said as she went by the woman.

"No problem, it's to your left."

Caroline slightly pushed Jeff forward through the screen door. The door led to a small living room with an equally small kitchen to its left. As she walked on towards the hall she noted the lack of personal effects. Even the kitchen looked as if no one had ever cooked in it. A door -to the bedroom - Caroline assumed, was at the bottom of the hall.

Jeff stopped at the bathroom door.

"Well?" She tilted her head. "I'll be here."

"No," he said in a small voice.

She gave him a puzzled look. "But you said you needed to go."

He didn't reply.

Caroline squatted down. "I told you—we'll keep you safe."

He remained silent.

She brought a hand to his face. "The vampire who hurt him is gone, he can't hurt you now."

He grabbed her hand and Caroline let herself be pulled into the cramped bathroom. Then he froze again.

"What is it?"

"You have to turn around."

"Oh, right," she replied, turning towards the door. She waited until he flushed to turn around, hoping she wouldn't have to do this every time. Then she thought back to Mike and the regret lanced through her.

She still had no idea how things would work out. Maybe she'd spoken too quickly when she'd told Jeff she'd stay with him. She hadn't figured out things for herself, she was in no position to be around…anyone, really. But she couldn't just leave him at the hands of people he didn't know. She realized that Jeff had finished washing his hands and was now staring at her.

"Come on." She reached for his hand. "Let's go back out."

Edna and Peter arrived about twenty minutes later. Edna was heavy-set with auburn hair streaked with gray, who looked severe until she smiled. Her husband, on the other hand was tall and brown skinned with a wiry build and friendly face. A girl, slightly older than Jeff, with golden skin and Edna's easy smile walked in front of them.

Elena made the introductions as they neared.

Caroline was afraid that Jeff wouldn't take to them, but the couple seemed at ease with him right away. Edna offered to show Jeff what they'd caught and things went smoothly from there. Elena, Caroline, Bonnie and Jeff piled into Edna and Peter's small cottage. It was set up not unlike Magda's, except Caroline gathered that there were two bedrooms rather than one at the end of the hall. They sat around the dining table with Peter while Edna, their daughter and Jeff looked through a small box of toys in the living room.

"Today, huh." Peter said in a tight voice, when Elena told him about the attack, conveniently leaving out any mention of Damon.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could take him in."

"With me," Caroline blurted out. "I mean, he wouldn't want to be without me."

He nodded. "Kid's been through enough. It'll be tight though, he can sleep in Penny's room. I don't know how you'd feel about sleeping in the living room for now…"

"Well, we were thinking that this is just until, he gets used to it. You guys have the only thing close to a family environment here. After he's settled, Caroline can come stay with me." Bonnie looked over to her. "If that's okay with you."

Caroline nodded.

"Thank you," Elena said for them.

It was beginning to feel stuffy in the house and Caroline excused herself. She went out to the porch and looked out to the street. The sun was setting and a soft breeze rustled through the palmettos that lined the street. The older woman had gone inside, but there were a couple of people walking outside towards the sprawling building down the street.

"You okay?"

Bonnie's voice made her jump back with a startled gasp.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

Caroline brought a hand to her chest. "I'm sorry." An awkward laugh escaped her. "I didn't expect anyone. I'm fine."

"You sure? You say that too much."

She gave her a reassuring smile. "Just looking at the neighborhood."

"It's home. And it's safe. Maybe a little too corporate." Bonnie grinned.

"No, it's… beautiful. I was just thinking of all those ghost towns," Caroline blurted out. "It's nice to see some activity for once. Even Mystic Falls looked…off. Here, I can almost imagine that it's normal, you know?"

"You were at Mystic Falls the entire time?"

"We spent some time in Charleston." The image of Isobel, behind her looking at her floated up in her mind. Then the sky, baby blue, as she fell when she died. The choked sound Mike had made when-

"Caroline?"

"Sorry, I'm just tired."

"I'm sure." Bonnie didn't look convinced. "Dinner's soon though."

"Dinner? Here?"

She chuckled. "We have a cafeteria."

"A cafeteria." Caroline raised her eyebrows. "There's a cafeteria here?"

"Yup and everyone eats there. Easiest way to control rations and there's not that many of us here. We use the resort restaurant. What, bring back memories of elementary school?"

Caroline spoke without thinking, "No…not really."

Bonnie's expression fell. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have-"

Caroline waved a hand. "It's okay, it'll come back. I remember bits and pieces. Of course, not a lot of the good pieces, but it's something. The point is: it's coming back to me. Soon-"

"You don't have to explain..."

"I know I say it a lot, but really, I am okay. As much as I can be."

Bonnie looked at her for a long moment. The screen door whined open and Elena came into view.

"Caroline, you better come inside. Jeff's asking for you."

The lively buzz of conversation in the cafeteria was comforting to her, although if she were honest, she was looking forward to just going to bed. While the décor of the restaurant was faded and the tables lacked tablecloths, the space looked welcoming enough. The tables were arranged to seat eight or so and most were occupied. Jeff was with Edna, Peter and Penny, though he kept glancing at Caroline's direction as if afraid she'd vanish. He and Penny were the only children Caroline saw. The rest were men and women roughly her age and a bit older.

Caroline felt her limbs heavy as she made the line grabbing a piece of bread and some soup. She could almost imagine she was here for a buffet. Cleaning duties rotated, Bonnie had told her, their routines were influenced by the large contingent of army personnel. Caroline figured that was why they called some of the people by their last names, but it still felt weird to her.

She found herself thinking that there weren't that many people, so the chores shouldn't be that bad, in any case. Then the implications sank in and she pushed the thought away. After she got her food, a simple bowl of chili with cornbread, Bonnie escorted them to a table where Matt sat beside Elena.

One of the women that she'd seen during her arrival—the strawberry blonde who'd grabbed her when she first got to Siloh- took up a seat next to them. "Alaric wants to talk to you guys," she said.

"Let the asskicking begin," Bonnie muttered.

"Thanks for letting us know, Maddie. What time?" Elena asked.

"He called a meeting tomorrow first thing." To their dark looks, she raised her arms and said, "Hey, I didn't say a word. Rivera's probably the one that yapped."

"Eddie did say he was worried Damon would be tracked," Matt put in softly.

Elena swore and pushed her bowl away. "Matt, you want it?"

"You barely touched it," Bonnie protested.

Elena ignored her. "I have to go find Stefan. Maddie, tell Alaric we got it." She turned towards Caroline. "Sorry this isn't much of a welcome dinner, Caroline."

"It's o—" But before Caroline had finished Elena was already walking towards the exit.

"I'm gonna run. 'Night guys." Maddie followed suit. "Nice to meet you, Caroline."

Caroline smiled weakly and then she too was gone. "What was that about?" she turned to Matt and Bonnie. "Who's Alaric?"

"Alaric Saltzman—do you remember him?" Matt asked.

"Mr. Saltzman? Wait-the history teacher? He runs things around here?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "No, he's just…a pain."

"The council runs things around here," Matt added wryly. "They're the ones that arrange the shifts and stuff."

"Anyway, he goes overboard sometimes. What?" Bonnie asked at Caroline's look.

"Do I have something on my face?"

"No, it's just that last I remember, Mr. Saltzman was a high school teacher. It's a little strange, that's all. Has it always been like this?"

"Like what?"

"Shifts? Training?"

Matt shrugged. "It was kind of a mess when we first got here. There weren't that many of us and none of really knew how we were going to survive. The only ones of us who could fight were Rick and Stefan, Bonnie couldn't really do a lot of magic yet. When the soldiers found us we kind of let them set stuff up with Rick and Stefan."

"So Mr. Saltzman, Stefan and the soldiers make up the council?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Not all of them are on the council. Most of them aren't, actually. Alaric and Robinson are in charge of security, Beth, Marty, Magda, Elliot, Dustin, Amy, and Myrna work on logistics. Most of them are civilians like us. I mean, Beth isn't, technically, but that's not why she's on the council." Bonnie smiled. "She's there because she had the greenest thumb of everyone here."

Matt noticed Caroline's confusion. "You'll get the hang of things in a bit."

Caroline frowned. "How come none of you are part of the council?"

Bonnie snorted. "It's complicated, but long story short-you couldn't pay me enough. Even with barely eighty of us on Siloh. It's a hassle to get everyone to agree."

Matt nodded. "Elena could get voted in if she wanted to. But she likes wasting vampires too much." He chuckled.

Bonnie shot Matt a sharp look.

Caroline was about to ask more but a table away from her, Edna and Peter had gotten up. Jeff looked back at her and Caroline grabbed her empty bowl.

"I'll see you guys later," she said, standing up.

"…_I just don't know yet," she was telling Matt as they danced to the slow song. "I mean I heard about Delta Zeta having the highest GPA and the best connections, but Pi Beta Phi also has a great reputation and what if I like the girls there better? What if I don't get into either of them?"_

"_I don't know why you're all hung up on sororities," Matt replied sounding thoroughly bored. "You're not doing it this year."_

_She ignored the comment. "Which sorority you join could have a huge impact on your career."_

"_I don't like the idea of a popularity contest."_

"_Whatever, Matt, like you're not joining a frat when you go."_

"_I'm not- I'm not rich."_

"_That is a stereotype," she informed him. "It doesn't matter at most places- besides, Mr. Team Captain? Please. Greek system is written all over you."_

"_Not if they're full of guys like Tyler."_

"_That's different. He doesn't have much of a choice for a frat, thanks to his dad. I forget which one it was, but I talked to this one girl from Duke who told me they've gone down- all they're known as is boozers."_

"_He should fit right in."_

_Her expression softened. "It's been a couple of months, don't you think you guys should…make up? So he's a douche—not like you didn't know before."_

"_Yeah, but now he's a douche that made out with my mom."_

"_But what about football season?"_

"_We'll manage."_

"_What if he goes out of state—you'll drag this on for years!"_

"_It's North Carolina, not California. Besides, he'll come back. Especially with his dad wanting him to get into politics." Matt made a face. _

"_You'll make it all awkward when he comes back for the holidays. And the class reunion."_

"_That's even further away," he pointed out with a laugh. "Aren't you getting…a little ahead of yourself?"_

_Caroline smiled and let the matter drop._

_The song ended and turned into a faster number and Caroline led them out of the dance floor. Her eyes darted to her purse. She hadn't felt the phone vibrate. She took it out and had her suspicions confirmed. No calls._

"_What's up?" Matt said, taking account of her serious expression._

"_It's been two hours already and I haven't heard from Bonnie, I'm going outside to give her a call."_

"_I'll go with you."_

"_No, it's okay. I'll just be a minute. Just let Elena know. She called her a while ago and nothing then either."_

_Matt nodded and she walked out to the other side of the gym and out the exit._

_She dialed Bonnie's number and brought the phone to her ear. It rang twice then went to voice mail. Caroline was about to hang up, but decided against it._

"_Bonnie we're kind of worried about you—if you haven't noticed yet from the millions of calls. Anyway just call us back please." Caroline hung up. Bonnie wasn't even that into Ben to ditch the dance in favor of an impromptu make out session. Should she call the police?_

_She felt a little silly at the thought. Bonnie had said Ben was cute, so who knew? Maybe Ben had been late to pick her up and her parents had gotten photo crazy. Had her dad been around, she wasn't sure she and Matt wouldn't have been at least an hour late._

_Plus, Mystic Falls had been really quiet after Vicky was found. _

_She heard an outcry behind her in the gym, but ignored it in favor of dialing Bonnie's number again with the same results. _

_She was about to go back, when she realized the clamor was something different._

_What she was hearing wasn't sounding like excited whoops. _

_Not when several people streamed out of the gym and almost crashed into her, a wild, panicked look on their faces. She moved to the side, surprised. Fire?_

_She called out, but no one answered, too wrapped up in trying to run away as fast as possible._

_The music died down behind her, leaving screams of terror to lace through the night, more and more people streamed through the exit._

_Caroline looked around dazedly, trying to maneuver through the crowd to get back in the gym, but the thick throng of people made it impossible._

_Her eyes scanned the more recent group of people rushing out. Thick splatters of red across pale-colored dressed and button-down shirts. Sometimes, on people's faces, on girl's shoulders, dripping down their backs. Fear rose up as Caroline continued trying to weave her way through the massive crowd._

_The screaming gave no sign of letting up-_

Caroline woke up with a gasp.

That's when it must have happened. Elena, Stefan and Matt had been together. They'd gotten out okay. Bonnie had ended up okay as well. It was only her…

Caroline closed her eyes trying to control her frenzied heartbeat. Damon had said she'd been _available._ He found her.

Found her and blocked her memories. Turned her into a zombie. And he'd done it before. He set the vampires free. Free to kill. She squeezed her eyes shut.

At least, the memories were coming back, but she was sure she didn't want to know where it went from there.

Crying broke through her thoughts and she stood and walked over to Penny's room. Penny looked at her sleepily as she walked in. Edna was already there speaking to Jeff in soothing tones.

He stretched an arm towards her and she clasped his hand. In the end, she let Edna do most of the work, opting to sit on the floor by the cot, until he fell asleep, the grip on her hand slackening.

After, she'd followed Edna out. Once in the hall, Edna whispered, "This is actually really common."

"I know," Caroline replied. "His dad had told me he'd been having nightmares."

"Penny had them for several months. Still does every now and then. You can't avoid it."

Caroline lifted a hand to the woman's arm. "Thank you."

"It's okay." Her gaze was soft and Caroline could see why Jeff took to her. "You know, Caroline, no one will fault you for being with your friends now."

"I know, but I feel like I… owe it to him," she replied after a moment. "His dad wouldn't have died if he hadn't come back for me."

"You can't take that on yourself."

She made herself nod dully.

"I'm here, if you ever want to talk," Edna said. "Try to get some sleep."

But for the longest time, Caroline just lay watching the shadows dance on the ceiling, wondering how Damon could have let the vampires out. Why? Had he hated humans that much? Had that been the rift between he and his brother?

No answers were coming and she slept fitfully.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next day her friends were nowhere to be seen. She'd have to eat breakfast with the Paceys. Caroline didn't necessarily mind, but she had gradually begun feeling like the odd man out, sandwiched between the children and the adults.

Just as she was about to sit with the family, she caught sight of Bonnie grabbing some coffee and sitting down several tables away. As soon as she saw Caroline, Bonnie waved her over and Caroline quickly excused herself.

"How are you holding up?" Bonnie took a long sip of her coffee.

"I'm all right. But Jeff barely slept last night. I feel sorry for Edna and Pete. And Penny- she has to share a room with him."

"It's not his fault. I think nightmares are pretty much routine here. It'll get better."

Caroline nodded. She figured as much. "How did the meeting with Mr. Saltzman go?"

Bonnie groaned. "It's still going on. I just couldn't take it anymore. As if waking up early wasn't bad enough."

"What's he so upset about?" Caroline lowered her voice. "That Damon's here?"

"I don't even think he knows." Bonnie's brow furrowed. "No, he was flipping his shit because we had a changeover - Mike. He thought we should have been more cautious."

"How could you have known?"

"My point exactly. Not that Alaric sees it that way."

"And Damon?"

"He's alive as far as I know." Bonnie leaned forward slightly. "Seems like Eddie managed to keep quiet about that for now at least."

Caroline bit her lip. "Do you think maybe I could…see him?"

Bonnie looked at her oddly. "Why would you want to?"

"I'm just…wondering - about some stuff."

She nodded "The compelling."

Caroline fiddled with her mug. "Elena said Damon compelled me in front of you guys. What was that all about?"

Bonnie's brows furrowed. "That was before the vampires. He was using you to get to his brother. It's… complicated."

Caroline was curious, but she already had another question in mind. "And he pretended to be my boyfriend?"

Bonnie nodded slightly. "We got you away from him as soon as we knew he was messing with your head."

Caroline stayed silent for a while, processing the information. "You said the vampires-they…erase memories now," she finally said.

"It's easier for them. They don't need to continue with the compulsion. They take all the resistance away. It's like they own you, inside and out."

"Damon didn't do that to me," Caroline said quickly.

"You wouldn't be here if he had." Bonnie's expression darkened "There's no way to undo erasures. We started seeing them a couple of years ago. We couldn't help them, they'd end up…causing problems."

"What did you do?"

"I thought it was like reversing compulsion, but that didn't work…" She took another sip. "It was really dangerous to keep them around."

Caroline froze, the way Bonnie described it sent chills down her spine. "You…killed them."

"They were not people anymore." Bonnie's voice didn't waver. "Just puppets. We had no choice. They're no different from the vampires. We wouldn't have survived otherwise-"

"I should get going," Caroline interrupted, not wanting to hear more. Her friends wouldn't do this. They couldn't. "I need to see if Edna needs me." She stood up.

Caroline snapped wide awake, heart pounding. Another nightmare. She sat up on the couch, waiting for her breathing to slow. She could still see Mike's contorted face, feel his fangs pierce her skin…

She tried to blink the image away and stood, making her way to the kitchen. The enclosed space did little to help her brittle nerves and she shot a look at the door. At the very least, fresh air would do her good.

She opened the door and slipped out. It was midday and warm out with a slight breeze. The Paceys were out with the kids and Caroline had decided to come back and take a nap. She didn't know how the rest of the family kept going. To hear them tell it, they had it easy, in addition to cafeteria shifts, cleaning shifts, and whatever else Caroline hadn't found out about, Peter had perimeter watch twice a week. Edna had hers once a week. Everyone had watches, they said.

The rest of the time they spent it with the kids, or in defense training, or working their small plot in the back. Bonnie had said their schedule was more relaxed because they were the only family with children on the island. It still seemed like a lot to Caroline. No one had made her to do anything, and she'd only arrived a a short while ago, but it was hard not to feel useless, when surrounded by so many people actively _doing_ stuff all the time.

Bonnie's 'unit', as they called the resort cabins, was a couple of cottages down and she walked towards it experimentally. Bonnie wouldn't be there, she'd said during breakfast that she was slated for afternoon patrol.

It was a little strange being alone after spending so much time surrounded by either the family or Bonnie. Everyone wanting to know how she was, how she felt, what she wanted. She knew that Bonnie had been about to offer returning her memories more than once, but something about it felt wrong. She didn't know if she could take it.

She sighed and continued walking past Bonnie's along the dirt road they'd taken to get here.

More memories had been surfacing. The outline of her mother came up, severe in her sheriff's uniform. Caroline had always thought it looked terrible, the shirt squared her torso, the pants made her look fat. Her mom's fashion sense wasn't that much better when she was in normal clothes, but then again her mom had never put any stock in that stuff.

Caroline remembered the look on her face when she told her mom she'd made the track team, like it was the Olympics, like it actually mattered. She dropped out the next year to try for the cheearleading squad. Maybe she shouldn't have done that.

Caroline passed by various nondescript buildings - storage sheds, she thought. In the distance she could see a small barn. Several minutes later she passed another aged sign this time for 'Moss Field'. She kept going without paying it any mind.

"Caroline?"

She whirled around and jumped back, heart in her throat. It was a guy, dark hair, muscular build—more or less her age, except for the eyes. The eyes…

Stefan took a slow step back. She noticed the crossbow he held in his hands were raised. "It's okay, Caroline."

"Stefan."

He smiled gently. "You remember."

Bits and pieces. The ill-fated party? Photos? She remembered from _somewhere._ "I was just out for some air. What are you up to? I haven't seen you around much. At all, actually. I mean I haven't been here long, but-"

"Afternoon patrol," he interrupted. "I heard you're living with the Paceys."

"They've been really nice." It seemed like something she should say.

"They're good people."

Just then the chitchat felt unbearable. "Have you heard…" Caroline couldn't help asking in a low voice, "About Damon?"

"Elena told me." Much as she tried, Caroline couldn't get more than blankness from his expression.

"So you haven't seen him?"

He paused and she detected pity. "Caroline, I'm very sorry for what he did to you."

"It's fine." He hadn't answered the question. Caroline continued, trying to add some levity, "I don't remember most of it. Kind of hard to be mad about something you don't remember. I just…I don't want them to kill him. Is that weird? I mean, he's your brother, don't you feel- "

"It could be some remnants of the compulsion."

She hadn't expected that response. "I guess. That's what everyone thinks, right?" Caroline forced a laugh. Suddenly, she felt sick of _everything_ covered up, prettied up, when the reality was so much worse. "But he's your brother, isn't he…"

Stefan's mouth formed a steely line. "Damon might be my brother, but he's caused enough grief and suffering to last a lifetime for everyone here. Including me."

"Why?" she asked impulsively. "I keep hearing, bits and pieces. I know Damon let the vampires in the tomb out, but why would he do that?" Stefan looked uncomfortable, but she'd gone too far too stop. "Did he know what would happen? I have to know," she pleaded. "I've tried to ask, but…please, Stefan."

Caroline could see the pity in his eyes battling with something else. When he spoke again he sounded weary, as if he'd told the story too many times. "Their leader-she was someone Damon cares about. He knew what she'd do if she got loose. It didn't matter to him."

It didn't make sense. "Oh."

Stefan cleared his throat. "You shouldn't be here. Moss Field-this part of the island- crosses over with Boar's Point- it's less developed—there's snakes around and other unpleasant stuff."

"Oh, well, I guess should—I should head back then. I'll see you around, Stefan." She began walking back. Ten steps later when she looked back, he was gone.

The next day she helped Edna with the garden. The work, although simple, kept them busy until early afternoon. Like most of the survivors at Pine Breeze, they had a plot which they shared with the rest of the community. Caroline had never liked getting her hands dirty, but she welcomed the activity. It was easy enough to follow Edna's instructions.

Bonnie came over scarcely an hour after they were done and Caroline joined her for defense training. She'd only watched the day before, amazed at the intensity of the routine. She'd gathered that Edna only went to one, but that Elena and Bonnie went to several sessions. The session she'd seen was all women and had been led by Maddie, the strawberry blonde who'd warned Bonnie and Elena about Mr. Saltzman. To Caroline, the practice vaguely resembled kickboxing lessons and Caroline left both impressed at her friends and skeptical that she'd be able to pull it off.

Maddie had been particularly hard on Elena, Caroline had noticed, yelling at her to go faster to aim her kicks higher, though every move Elena had executed seemed perfect to Caroline's eyes. Elena had never complained though.

This session was similarly all women and held in the gym, which was housed in a building behind the cafeteria. Caroline caught a view of the pool outside through the muddy floor length glass windows of the gym. The water in the pool had gone green and murky from disuse.

"I don't know if I can make it through the routine. "Caroline whispered to Bonnie.

Bonnie gave her a reassuring smile. "Do what you can. You can always take a break."

At the head of the group was a dark-skinned man with a shaved head and a booming voice, maybe a couple of years older than Maddie. Robinson, she thought Bonnie had said.

Elena was at the front and smiled at them as they took their place.

Caroline couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu as they warmed up. Every once in a while though something would jar her, the movements, the scenarios painted while she went through the routine, _the vampire is behind you, he grabs you, tries to bite_.

Caroline tried to keep up, but kept losing her coordination.

"You can watch today, if you want to," the man spoke up after Caroline lost her balance and almost fell on Bonnie. She felt herself flush and stepped away from the group, flashing Bonnie an apologetic smile. There was apparently weapons training at some point too, Caroline just hoped she wouldn't accidentally shoot anyone.

A couple of more routines and their instructor, leader, whatever, called a break. The group disbanded and Bonnie approached with Elena in tow.

"I'm going to get a drink, coming?"

"No, you go ahead," Caroline answered.

"Okay." Her friends went off and Caroline stood. She wondered if the déjà vu was tied to the cheerleading, but she'd been so good at it. Even Elena hadn't been as good as she had. Caroline remembered the warm up, pulling her leg back to stretch it, the other followed. Bending from the waist, holding the position for a few seconds before straightening up. Rolling her shoulders, then her neck. Lunging to stretch the hamstring.

Every day at one. Because that was _normal._

That wasn't from the cheerleading, Caroline blinked. It wasn't normal. It hadn't been. She'd been compelled. By Damon.

The group filed back in.

"All right," Robinson began again. "Remember you all have vervain in your systems, which means that you have a chance even after bitten."

God, she couldn't stand the taste of it, Caroline thought. It had only gotten more nauseating since she started taking it until she couldn't anymore.

"Your priority is to get distance between you and the vampire. Focus on that."

Caroline rubbed her temples, not kicking the surreal quality of the scene. She was just Caroline, just lucky to be alive.

Bonnie pulled Caroline getting her to stand. "Come on," she said. "Give it another shot."

She'd left Bonnie for some quiet at the Paceys' unit, knowing they'd be out with the kids. At nightfall though she but met up with her friends again for dinner. Caroline noticed how the other people greeted them, nodded at them, but kept out of their way. The older survivors seemed to sit together while Maddie and Eddie sat with others Caroline hadn't been introduced to yet. The instructor, Robinson, sat at another table with other unfamiliar people.

"You know what I started craving?" Bonnie began, breaking through Caroline's thoughts.

"Oh god, not again," Matt groaned.

"French toast. Lots of syrup." Bonnie continued. "Too bad we couldn't get to the syrup last time."

"You can keep crying about the syrup," Elena said dryly. "It's the M&M's that keeps me up at night."

"You could have easily grabbed some."

"And left the box of clothes, right-"

"What about you, Caroline?" Matt turned to her, cutting off her friends' bickering. "Any cravings?" Caroline blinked, feeling the weight of everyone's stare.

"Uh." She wracked her mind, feeling flustered. Just say something, anything, she thought, but found herself feeling even more awkward.

"She just got here." Bonnie came to her aid. "I guess you don't miss anything much yet right?"

Caroline smiled weakly. "Yeah…I guess."

"How's Jeff these days?" Matt asked.

She sighed. "Better. Kind of. Edna says it's going to pass, but for now it's kind of tough for anyone there to get uninterrupted sleep."

"I know what that's like. I can't sleep too well after a raid," Matt said quietly. "And it's only been a couple of days. Those are the roughest." Elena and Bonnie were nodding.

Caroline broke off a piece of her cornbread, wishing Matt hadn't asked. A somber mood had descended over the table. She felt like such a mood killer.

"Do we have a date for the next one?" Bonnie changed the subject. "Speaking of raids."

"You don't know?" Elena asked.

"She left early," Matt reminded her.

"I just wasn't feeling like dealing with Alaric."

Matt nodded sympathetically. "He was being a dick."

"Can you blame him though?" Elena protested. "That was a huge risk."

"It wasn't my fault," Bonnie shot back.

"He didn't say that—"

"Guys, meeting is over," Matt interrupted. "Bonnie, Rick set up the next raid for the end of the month."

"That's too long." Bonnie frowned.

"We have enough," Matt assured her. "The coast is bound to be crawling right now. I don't know if we should take that chance."

"You don't know or Alaric doesn't know?"

"Bonnie—"

The Paceys had just gotten up from their table and Caroline stood eagerly.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"The Paceys are leaving."

"You don't have to go with them." Bonnie looked concerned. "I told them you'd be staying with me later on."

"It's just easier," Caroline said uneasily. "For now. Jeff gets really upset. I mean it's a little better, but I still think I should go. I'll see you tomorrow." Her words sounded like excuses to her ears, but they were all she had for now.

Caroline fell into a pattern over the next week, breakfast with Matt and Elena, tending to the garden with Edna, lunch with her friends, training, dinner, wash, rinse, repeat. It should be fine, she had friends who cared for her, lived surrounded by people. Her friends had gone out of their way to introduce her to everyone, but the names flew past her. Nothing left a dent. She still felt...numb.

Caroline didn't expect it, not after the compelling. With the return of her memories, she was sure that she'd feel either sad or enraged, or something. Anything. Part of her wanted to rush to Bonnie and beg to have all her memories back. But as warm as her friends were towards her, she sensed there was much they didn't say. She hadn't asked about why Stefan stayed away from them. Why Elena seemed to train more than anyone.

Little by little, Caroline begun remembering, flashes of moments, or places, people. And still, she felt like an automaton. Every time she opened her mouth to tell Bonnie about it, to tell Elena about it, the words died in her throat. Bonnie would offer to give her the memories back. Caroline didn't know if she could refuse. Would Bonnie understand? And Elena seemed strangely out of reach. Come to think of it, Caroline didn't think she'd spent any time alone with her.

What is this just how it was? Or worse, was this how it would be from now on?

So Caroline'd skipped lunch one day, going back to the dirt road where she'd met Stefan. She still didn't know why he didn't eat with them. Why she'd hardly seen him at all.

The path was silent except for the fluttering of birds high up on the branches of the live oaks. She walked down past the storage sheds. Stefan had said there were snakes, but she had yet to see one.

There was no sign of Stefan and she kept going, continued aimlessly until she got to the barn.

She stopped there, and walked in, there was a horse in the stall and she remembered she'd done horse riding for a bit before it got too expensive for her mom. She cooed and reached a hand out to rub its muzzle.

"Caroline?"

She sucked in a breath and froze. It hadn't been more than a whisper.

"Caroline?"

She should go, she thought. Just turn around and leave. But instead, she walked further into the barn, where there was a padlocked door and a small slot.

"Who's there?" she asked.

Soft laughter rang out.

"Damon." She felt strangely relieved. "You're alive."

"Wouldn't go that far," he groaned. "How's the… reunion?"

"Fine," she said. "What do you care?"

"That was the agreement… I help you… You help… me," he rasped.

"I never agreed to be compelled." Her eyes narrowed. "And it hadn't even been the first time, either," she added. "You lied to me."

"Omissions," he pointed out. "Are not lies. You're not… angry over that, are you?"

Caroline leaned back against the wall opposite the door. "No," she answered honestly. "I wish I were, but I'm not. I wish… I felt something, but even with the memories back there's just nothing. And everyone knows everyone and I can't recognize them. I don't fit." She let her head fall back against the wall and looked up to the rafters. "But, I don't know if I ever did. And it sucks."

She shut her eyes. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You don't care. It's probably the remnants of the compelling. That's what everyone says. Maybe I should just ask Bonnie to just bring them all back and get it over with." She paused. "I don't even know why I'm here. You hate me. You hate all of us." Somehow admitting to it all felt like a betrayal.

"I don't hate any of you," he surprised her by wheezing out. "I just don't care."

She laughed bitterly, despite herself. His words were an echo of Stefan's. "You're an asshole. They might kill you, you know." She looked down at her hands.

"I'm touched…you care."

"Isobel was right, wasn't she? You saved me to get Stefan to forgive you. You know what Stefan said? That you cared about the vampires' leader. Seems like you cared more about her than him. But Stefan seems to care more for Elena now, so I guess it's even."

He stayed silent and she wondered if that hurt on some level, but the words had slipped out without malice.

"I'm gonna go," she said, standing up. "They might be looking for me."

"Caroline."

"What?"

"Blood." It was a whispered plea. In her mind's eye, she could just see the bloodlust on his face as it twisted his features.

Caroline rushed out wordlessly.


End file.
